Between Sheets
by TheNightIsAlmostOver
Summary: It wasn't supposed to happen. She was a good girl and made one mistake. So, why was it hard keeping her hands to herself when Hatake Kakashi was in the room?
1. Vow

_**Between Sheets**_

_It wasn't supposed to happen. She was a good girl and made one mistake. So, why was it hard keeping her hands to herself when Hatake Kakashi was in the room?_

Warnings: This story is lemon. And much more mature than 'One Cell In The Sea'. So, if you are not old enough to view this kind of material, please click the back button and find a nice non-M rated story, please! If not, enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own these characters.

**Vow**

Like most days, when the hospital had a particular slow day, Sakura could be found in the nurse's station sorting through reports and files, organizing the room for the next shift. Today was no different. She was hunched over the filing cabinet, rearranging the files that weren't in exact alphabetical order and mumbled to herself about a proper filing system that only she could follow.

As she slid the white folders in the proper slot for patients whose name started with the letter J, she caught sight of the still unfamiliar ring resting on her left hand. It was a thin silver band with a square cut diamond perched atop it. It sparkled in the fluorescent lights above her and Sakura couldn't help biting her lip as she dropped her hand and tried to forget about it.

She was engaged.

To be married.

The thought was still almost as unbelievable as _whom_ she was actually engaged to. Masashi Kyo, one of the new hospital directors had taken an instant liking to Sakura and after four months of dating he had asked her to marry him two weeks ago. She had instantly said yes, but the more she thought about it, the more she doubted herself.

Being married was something she had absolutely no idea how to be. Would he expect children right away; they hadn't even discussed it at length or at all. She was sure she couldn't give up her career for the role of perfect little house wife. The medical ninja field was her passion, her life, and above all she was a kunoichi of Konoha.

Sakura shook her head and straightened the papers in her hands before stapling the top left corner and slid it into the folder. She had to stop worrying so much. Kyo loved her and she loved him and he would understand her apprehension toward children. She would just have to find a balance.

As the young kunoichi finished her filing, a soft knock sounded at the door and a familiar blonde head poked through the door. Ino grinned at her friend and twirled in the doorway to show off a brand new outfit and hair style. Her usual pony tail had been forgotten and instead her head was covered in blonde ringlets that bounced around her shoulders.

In an instant, Sakura realized why the Yamanaka girl was so exquisitely dressed and bubbly. It was her birthday, and the pink haired kunoichi had forgotten all about it. She smacked herself in the face with the file folder in her hands as Ino sighed heavily. "I swear, Sakura. You would forget your own head if it wasn't attached." Grumpily, the blonde flopped down in the seat across from Sakura's desk and crossed her arms over her chest.

Sakura slid the filing cabinet shut and spun around, her eyes full of remorse. "I know. I am so, so sorry. I just got caught up with work and Kyo was going to make me dinner tonight."

"Well, cancel! Because you owe me, and I know you didn't get me anything. Again. For the_ third_ year in a row." She pursed her lips and feigned anger at her best friend. The pink haired Nin sighed and nodded her head, dropping her arms to her side.

"You're right. Ugh. Kyo's going to kill me. This will be the third time I've cancelled on him this week! But, I _do_ owe you and I'm sure he'll understand."

Ino hopped back up to her feet, grinning like mad as if she had just been given the most perfect present. "Oh, thank you Sakura! I need a girl's night out so badly!" Before the birthday girl could walk out of the office, she whirled around and set her gaze on Sakura. "And you definitely need to get out. That fiancé of yours has you on such a short leash now-a-days that I hardly get to see you. Be at my place at 7!"

Sakura watched the dolled up version of Ino waltz down the hallway and sighed. She felt bad about missing her birthday, and even worse about having to cancel on her fiancé. He was going to be so disappointed in her. With a groan, Sakura brought her forehead down on the mahogany desk and banged it a few times, cursing her bad memory.

~!~

As she opened the door to the apartment she shared with Kyo, Sakura realized she was still not used to the wide expanse of space. Her old place had been small, with just enough room for her to enjoy comfortably, and was a dramatic step down from the apartment she was in now.

Being the hospital director had perks and Kyo had money from both sides of his family to begin with, something Sakura wasn't quite ready for. She had known he had money and was rich, but to be _this_ well off…it was bizarre.

She slid the door shut and set her keys and back on the iron table in the hallway. She could smell something heavenly cooking from the kitchen and could hear the soft, classical music Kyo preferred when he was making a meal.

Biting her lip, Sakura leaned against the door frame and watched the man as he stirred noodles in a large, black pan on the stove. Even in the midst of cooking a meal, everything was neat and tidy and surreal to her. Any time she attempted the same, it was like a cyclone had appeared and destroyed the kitchen.

Which was why she wasn't allowed to cook anymore.

With his back turned to her, Sakura watched her fiancé with a smile. He was taller than she was, but not by much, with a head full of thick, black hair that laid down perfectly on his scalp. She had never seen his hair out of place even after he woke up.

He was wearing a pair of dark grey pants with a white button up shirt, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. Overall, he was one of the most handsome men in Konoha, and Sakura was reminded of it anytime they walked down the street together with women's gazes attached to him like glue.

She cleared her throat, making him whirl around with a broad smile. "Hello. How was your day?"

"Good. Um, is this for us?"

"Yep, I made my specialty." He stepped back and pointed to a plate of freshly boiled shrimp wrapped in seaweed and rice before he tipped the noodles on the side of the plate. "But, I'm afraid I can't stay long. I got a call earlier for an emergency meeting tonight."

Well, at least she wouldn't have to cancel her dinner night. Shrugging, Sakura grabbed two glasses and poured them some lemonade before setting it out on the polished table top. As he set down the plates, she heard him cluck his tongue at her. "Oh, Sakura. You know I can't have anything sweet this late in the day. And you really shouldn't either. It's best to drink water with your evening meals." He reached for her glass but was stopped as she grabbed it first and sipped it defiantly.

"I don't think it really makes a difference. And I like lemonade with my supper."

He stared for a second before turning on his heel to replace her mistake with water. They ate in silence, but quickly as if both of them were rushing off to other places. Sakura had started to tell Kyo about her night with Ino, but bit her tongue each time.

She knew he would give her the same look he always did when she talked about the blonde, and she knew he wasn't the girl's biggest fan either. He always pursed his lips and told Sakura the same thing, 'You're too old to be behaving like her'. Whatever that meant, Sakura wasn't too sure.

It wasn't like they would be going out to the bar to drink and pick up men. Well, it wasn't like that for her anyway. As Kyo dumped his plate in the dishwasher, he glanced back at the pink haired kunoichi over his shoulder. "I might be a bit late, so don't wait up. Apparently some funding was lost and we've got to find where it's going and settle some things." Sakura nodded and sipped the last of her lemonade as she leaned against the fridge. "That's fine." He leaned down for a small kiss before slipping his jacket over his arms.

Without a goodbye, he shut the door behind him and Sakura glanced at the clock. She had just enough time to wash her hair and figure out what to wear before meeting at Ino's house at 7. But, if she had known that the moment the blonde laid eyes on her, she would just roll her eyes and insist on redoing every bit of Sakura's attire, she would have just went over as she was.

Ino pulled a brush through Sakura's pink locks and pulled the left section of her head back with a black, sparkling pin before tackling the other side with the same affect. She left the back hanging down to Sakura's shoulder blades and curled them a bit. "See how much better? It looks like you actually have style."

"Hey, just because my style isn't 'street-walker' doesn't mean I don't have one."

"Yeah, but your style makes your forehead look enormous." Ino stuck her tongue out at her from the mirror's reflection and thrust a tube of dark lip-stain toward the girl. "Put this on."

Sakura wrinkled her nose as she pulled the wand from the tube and shook her head. "Way too dark."

"It's my birthday, and you forgot! You're wearing it!"

Begrudgingly, Sakura spread the color as thin as she could over her mouth and popped her lips as she peered at herself in the mirror. Her makeup mirrored Ino's in almost every way except that she insisted that dark eye shadow would make her eyes 'absolutely pop' while the blonde's was light and airy. "Ino, I look like a hooker."

"No you don't! You're just used to dressing like your Tsunade's age."

"She doesn't really dress her age, either." Sakura pointed out as she was dragged into Ino's bedroom and shoved in front of the closet. She stood nervously still as the other kunoichi pressed outfit after outfit against her frame until finally coming to a decision. Sakura kept reminding herself that if she had only gotten her friend a present, she wouldn't be used as a human dress up doll, and that next year, she wouldn't forget.

"Put this on." Sakura looked down at the black garment in her hands and scoffed. It was a halter dress that looked as if it would barely hold Ino's chest and wondered if the girl had ever even worn it. It wasn't the worst thing she could be forced to wear, and it was long enough to come to her knees.

The neckline was a bit much, but nothing she hadn't ever shown before. The skirt flowed out from beneath the breasts and swirled around her hips lightly. All in all, Sakura was surprised to find she actually felt good in this dress. "Pretty! Now, a little shot to celebrate." Ino had come back into the room with two shot glasses filled with a brown liquid that Sakura was sure would burn.

"Before we even go out?"

Her bottom lip stuck out as Ino handed her the glass. "It's my birthday."

"How long are you going to play that card?"

"All night, now drink!" On the count of three, the two kunoichi's tilted their heads back and grimaced as the heat of the alcohol spread through their throats. "Oh, yuck." Sakura handed it back, but Ino refused the glass as she reached for the bottle to pour another one. After three shots, Sakura felt pleasantly tipsy and wobbled in her small heels as they headed out into the brisk, autumn air.

Ino talked animatedly at her side as she pointed to this spot and that place where she had seen _the_ hottest guy. As they rounded the corner on the upscale district where several bars and dance clubs were placed, Sakura felt giddy with excitement. It had been a long time since she and Ino had gone out and though she had complained then, it was a pleasant change from the mundane.

"Let's go in there! No! This one looks fun. Hey, isn't that Iruka-sensei?" Ino pointed to a group of four ninja who walked the sidewalk on the opposite side of the street they were on. Sakura looked around and spotted the familiar faces and smiled. She immediately recognized her old sensei, walking on the outside of the group with his hands stuffed in the pockets. "And look, Kakashi-sensei's with them as well! I haven't seen him in ages."

"Let's go say hi!" Arm in arm, the girls walked across the street and despite the alcohol swimming through Sakura's system, she suddenly felt very nervous.

She had yet to tell her former sensei about getting engaged and wondered how he would take it. Would he congratulate her, or tell her she was being foolish, even laugh? Would he even say anything to her at all? She hadn't realized she had stopped walking until Ino was greeting the group of Jounin happily. They all told her happy birthday and as Sakura stood a few paces behind her, she caught the white haired ninja's attention.

Rather curiously, Kakashi leaned his head to the side to look around Ino's head full of curls and smiled at the pink haired kunoichi. Sakura felt her cheeks flush and her stomach fluttered slightly. "Sakura-chan?"  
Kakashi asked, folding his arms over his chest. Ino stepped aside and looked back at the girl.

Without even thinking, Sakura put her hands behind her back and slipped the ring off of her finger and placed it into the small purse she had carried with her before stepping up to the group. "Hello Kakashi-sensei! It's been forever it seems like."

"Not quite that long, but yes it has been too long. How've you been?"

"Good. Just busy at the hospital, working a lot." She purposefully ignored Ino's raised eyebrow and prayed that the girl didn't mention her engagement. Iruka nodded and jerked his thumb toward a building they were heading toward. "We were just about to go have a drink. You two want to join us?" Sakura could almost feel the excitement buzzing off of her friend. Ino nodded quickly, her curls bouncing around her face.

She knew the blonde had a thing for older guys, but didn't think Iruka was much of her type. The Jounin turned to Sakura and lifted his eyebrows. "You coming?" Ino turned to give her a look that screamed for her to say yes. She wasn't sure she was even going to turn him down in the first place.

Biting her lip, Sakura shrugged lightly before turning to the white haired ninja to her left. "Are you coming, Kakashi-sensei?"

The group turned to the Copy Ninja who sighed and looked out over Sakura's head to the darkened streets of Konoha before his exposed eye creased in the corner and he shrugged. "For a former student, of course."

Sakura grinned and the group waltzed into the building, bypassing the long line waiting to get in. A few guys shouted and complained about equality and unfairness but one look from the Jounin and they fell silent in an instant. Sakura giggled behind her hand as she stepped into the door, dim light sweeping over her. The hallway was dark and the walls seemed to vibrate from the music inside. It wasn't a place she would frequent, especially not lately, but as Kakashi placed his hand at the small of her back, her trepidation dissolved. She glanced back, her eyes wide with a slender pink eyebrow raised on her forehead. The white haired ninja smiled down at her from behind his dark mask as he lead Sakura into the crowded bar.

A DJ sat at the back of the room with a small group of people swaying to the music that blasted from the floor to ceiling speakers. On either side of the room was a bar long enough to fit thirty people at a time, with a flight of stairs behind them both leading to a larger sitting area. Iruka leaned over to Ino as the two other Jounin walked to the bar to get drinks. He said something in her ear and Sakura tried her best to hear, but the bass bumped so loudly in her head she could barely hear herself think.

Before she could ask him to repeat himself, Kakashi leaned down and nodded toward the stairs. "Let's go up where it's quieter."

She nodded and let him lead her to the steps behind the bar. She glanced back to find Ino surrounded by the three other men, laughing as he tilted her beer bottle back to sip. So much for spending her birthday together. Sakura pursed her lips as she and her former sensei found an empty table next to the wall and took their seats.

Kakashi reached out and slid a brown bottle across the surface to rest in front of Sakura and she stared at it in surprise. "When did you get this?"

"I have my ways."

She looked at him suspiciously before twisting the cap off and taking a sip. She wasn't a fan of beer really, but didn't want to let her disgust show in front of Kakashi. From the corner of her eye she watched him lean back in his chair and take a few gulps, his eyes never leaving her.

She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but for some reason seeing him so unexpectedly tonight made her feel a bit…nostalgic? No, it was something different than that. She knew that that's what she felt when she looked at Naruto now, all grown up and out on S- and A-rank missions every other week. Naruto made her long for the easy childhood days when they would train and run up trees for the fun of it.

Seeing Kakashi made her…suddenly nervous.

As if he hadn't seen her since she had grown up. But that was silly. It had only been six months at the most since they spoke, and she looked the same. "Ryo for your thoughts?" Kakashi asked, leaning forward to rest his elbows on the table, knocking Sakura from her thoughts.

Smiling, Sakura shrugged and twirled the cool, brown bottle around in her fingers. "Just reminiscing about the old days when you taught us to walk up trees." It wasn't a complete lie, but she couldn't admit that she had been thinking about how the way he made her so nervous for some reason.

Kakashi scoffed softly and took another sip through his mask as he looked out at the crowd. "You were a natural almost immediately."

Sakura blushed and shrugged as she looked down at her hands. "Yeah, but I was so bad at everything else."

"Rubbish. You're one of the best damn medical Nin I know of, beside Tsunade-sama of course."

What was with her tonight? She was blushing at every word he said. Sakura bit her lip and looked toward the stairs, wondering just where her blonde friend had disappeared to.

After an hour and a half and five beers a piece later, Sakura was laughing almost hysterically as Kakashi had her palm in his hand. He traced the line down the center of her palm and 'hummed' mystically to himself. "Yes, I can see right here. You're going to live to be at least 105 and have 37 children. You're going to be quite busy, actually." Sakura giggled behind her free hand before looking over the table, her head bent toward his. She could feel his hair tickle her forehead as she stared down at her own palm.

"Oh, it _does_ not. See, I think that means I'm only going to have _27_ children." She pointed to a small freckle below her thumb and giggled, leaning a bit too far off her chair. Drunkenly, Sakura started to slide off the chair and bumped against her sensei clumsily.

What would have been an embarrassing moment for the kunoichi, was now a laughing matter as the alcohol hid her inhibitions. Sakura leaned her head back against Kakashi's warm shoulder and had to cover her mouth from being too loud. Her inner voice scoffed at her actions and chided her for being such a lightweight.

She turned toward him, his arm resting behind her on the back of her chair as the other still held onto the upturned palm on the table. Inhaling deeply, Sakura discovered just what Kakashi-sensei smelled like. It was earthy and natural and fresh. It made her head swim.

Groaning, Sakura slipped her hand out from his grasp and grabbed her head. From beneath them, the music changed and a heavy, seedy beat filled the air. The bass vibrated through the floor and Sakura could feel it under her feet and through the seat under her ass. It was song that filled her head with rather inappropriate images of bodies grinding together and her mind swirled with thoughts of dancing with Kakashi-sensei in a very inappropriate manner.

Without thinking, Sakura found her hand snaking up his thigh, his muscles flexing under her touch. Her mouth grew desert dry as she stared down at his lap, watching her hand as if she were looking at the scene from out of her body. Sakura tilted her head up and her lips were inches from his mask. Her tongue darted out to wet her lips as Kakashi stared down, his infamous half-lidded gaze that once drove her crazy with annoyance was sparking an entirely different effect on her body. "Kakashi…" The words slipped out of her mouth before she could stop them, and her voice was low and raspy and filled with something dark. It shocked her and made her suck air back into her lungs.

She squeezed her eyes shut as the face of her fiancé flared in her drunken mind and she sat up quickly, wishing she could burn her hand off for touching him so _intimately. _"I'm engaged."

"Pardon?"

"I have a fiancé!" Sakura scrambled for her purse and stood, knocking into the table. The collection of bottles they had gathered tipped and spilled, tinkling together as she tried to get away. "I'm so sorry. I feel like such a fucking idiot!"

"Sakura." Kakashi called, rising to his feet as she hurried to the stairs.

They swirled as she looked down at them but she shook her head and leaned against the rail for support. She could still hear the Copy Ninja following her. The club was even more packed than before and though she wondered briefly where Ino had disappeared to, she knew that if she stayed and searched for her, the memory of what had happened would haunt her.

She needed to get home and get in bed and pray the entire way that Kyo wasn't already home. Once out in the cool, September air, Sakura sucked in deep breaths and leaned against the rough brick of the building. With one hand on her stomach, the pink haired kunoichi shut her eyes against the threat of vomit and straightened. "Sakura." Kakashi's calm voice sent chills down her spine but she pushed them away.

"Look, I'm sorry. I'm incredibly embarrassed, and ashamed, and I just want to go home. Please."

"At least let me walk you home."

Sakura shook her head vehemently and put a hand up, almost touching the palm he had held only moments ago to his chest. "No, I think it would be better if you didn't." She spun on her heel and gripped the wall to steady herself before walking as fast as she could through her dizziness.

When she discovered she was heading toward her old apartment, she cursed under her breath and doubled back across town. By the time she made it to the darkened hallway, she breathed a sigh of relief to find Kyo was still gone. She quickly pulled her hair down and slipped out of her dress and heels, shoving them into her backpack so Kyo wouldn't ask questions.

She gargled some mouth wash and brushed her teeth twice, spritzed a bit of perfume to hide the alcohol smell and slid into the cool sheets before turning the lamp off. Lying in the darkness, Sakura found it hard to think of anything but how utterly pathetic she was. Engaged to one of the most handsome and successful men in Konoha, and she drunkenly throws herself at her former sensei? Pure and utter idiocy.

Punching her pillow hard enough that feathers shot out around her, Sakura pressed her face into the fabric and screamed as loud as she could. It was immature, but sometimes she just needed a good scream.

With a sigh, she settled into her pillow again and reassured herself that tomorrow would be better. She would be a bit hung over, but she had a full shift at the hospital to occupy her time and her thoughts and she could just work the memories away.

Tomorrow would be better.

AN- I'm not a fan of the start, but I am in love with writing this story, so please bear with me! Reviews will help make updates faster!


	2. Sunday Morning

_Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Naruto universe. Wish I did, but I do not._

_AN- Don't forget to review! I love feedback!_

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_Sunday Morning_

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The afternoon was progressing slowly for Sakura, and she sought desperately to occupy herself with anything and everything that needed to be done. She had made her rounds twice, checking on each patient more than once, making sure they were comfortable and satisfied.

Around lunch, the kunoichi found herself eating alone in the small cafeteria, glaring down at the tuna sandwich she had bought. She had taken only two bites before her stomach clenched tightly and refused to accept anything else.

She hadn't allowed herself to think about Kakashi, or the night before at all during the day and now that she sat alone for the next hour, there was nothing left to do _but_ think. Her stomach twisted as she relived the moments through her head. She couldn't remember exactly how Kakashi came to be reading her palm, or pretending to, but she could still feel the burn of his skin on the back of her hand.

Absentmindedly, Sakura ran her finger over the lines on her palm the same way he had and swallowed hard. She tried to remember feeling upset, or bothered by him touching her but she hadn't. She hadn't thought at all about how wrong it was for them to be so close. All she had thought about was how…how good it had felt.

So wrapped up in her thoughts, she hadn't noticed a familiar blonde calling her name from across the cafeteria. Only when Ino plunked down in the seat across from her did Sakura jump in surprise and stare at the girl who had been A.W.O.L. since last night. A feeling of relief spread over Sakura as she was distracted from her thoughts…and then anger swept through her.

She slapped the table as Ino smiled and flipped her ponytail back. "Where were you last night? You just left me all alone with…" She couldn't even bring herself to utter his name. The way she had said it last night was just too much for her to remind herself of. Ino raised an eyebrow and leaned an elbow against the table. "I was dancing! It's not my fault if my attention was being fought for by three men. Iruka-sensei even asked me to lunch today." Gloating, Ino inspected her fingernails as she sat straighter in the chair.

"Geez, Ino. He's like 30. Isn't he a bit old for you?"

"Says the girl engaged to the man who's what, 27?"

Sakura blushed and shifted in her seat. "Yeah, well, it's not like he's 30. But, that still doesn't change the fact that you deserted me!"

Ino brushed her off and scoffed. "Puh-lease. You were smitten with Kakashi-sensei from the moment you saw him. I'm sure you weren't _that_ bored without me." With a wink, the blonde grabbed the forgotten sandwich from Sakura's plate and bit into the corner hungrily. Sakura's face paled at her words and glanced around to make sure no one had overheard her crassness.

"What's that supposed to mean? You know I'm-"

"Yeah, yeah, engaged. Just because you're getting married, doesn't mean you can't…" Ino waved her hand around as she searched for the appropriate phrase. "Sample the other goods."

"Geez, Ino. You really are a pig."

"Yeah, well, you really have an enormous forehead! What's with you today? You're being awfully sour."

Sakura sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose tightly between her fingers and tried to fight the migraine she could feel inching its way into her head. She debated briefly on whether to let Ino in on her eventful night, but decided against it. "I'm just a little hung over. Sorry."

The blonde shrugged and finished off the rest of Sakura's sandwich before wiping her lips with a napkin. "Oh yeah, Shizune was looking for you earlier." She pointed toward the doors to the cafeteria, making Sakura spin in her chair. The dark haired woman was walking toward them and nodded to the two medic Nin politely. "Hello, Ino, Sakura. I've been looking for you."

"Is something wrong?"

Shizune shook her head. "No. You've been summoned by the Hokagi…But, Tsunade-sama is in one of her moods today. So, beware." Sakura nodded as she cleared her table and stood to throw the trash away. Ino scoffed from behind her and muttered under her breath, "Looks like you're not the only one with a hangover today, Forehead."

Despite the glare she sent her way, Ino bounced away, announcing she had a very important lunch date she just couldn't miss. Shizune shook her head and checked the watch around her wrist before sighing heavily. "I've got to make rounds. I'll have one of the trainees cover your patients until you get back." With a brief smile, the woman exited the cafeteria, leaving Sakura alone with her thoughts once again.

She tipped her tray into the trash can before making her way out of the hospital. Even though autumn was approaching, the air was still dry and hot from summer and Sakura took her white coat off of her shoulders and draped it over her arm as she walked. The end of summer was always a sad time for Sakura. She loved the heat of the season and being able to jump in the lake for a swim whenever she wanted.

She had been so busy lately that she hadn't even swum all summer. Sakura sighed and pushed the door to the Hokage building open. A few people were making appointments and regarded the kunoichi with a nod as she passed.

The air conditioning was blowing full blast in the stair well and Sakura debated on whether or not to put her jacket back on. Just as she reached the landing in front of Tsunade's office door, a voice called out, sending chills down her spine. "Yo."

Slowly, Sakura turned, her hand still on the railing beside her. Kakashi was leaning against the wall, his face hidden by the shadows. His hands were in front of him, holding the familiar, worn pages of his favorite book. Sakura noticed he never lifted his eyes from the book as she took a deep breath and passed him. "Hi."

Kakashi blinked and lifted his gaze to the kunoichi as she passed. Sakura couldn't help stare as she went, her insides hot as his stare seared through her, her mouth dry as the dessert. Just before she broke eye contact, she was sure she caught the edge of his mask lift as he smirked.

Anger swept over her and she debated on whether or not to march back up to him and give the Copy Ninja just a piece of her mind. But, as she paused in her step, she remembered the way she had pawed at his thigh at the bar and all her confidence and desire to chide him flushed from her. With cheeks stained crimson, Sakura rapped lightly on the Hokage's door and glanced back at the man over her shoulder.

He was still leaning casually against the wall, nose shoved between the _Icha Icha_ pages. "Come." Her Shishou's voice barked and Sakura inhaled deeply through her nose before entering. The office was dimly lit and Sakura had to strain her eyes just to make out where the Hokage was.

Tsunade lounged in her high backed chair, her forehead resting in the palm of her hand with her eyes squeezed shut. She peeked through an eyelid and sat up slowly at the sight of Sakura.

"Have a seat." She dropped into one of the available chairs and watched her master reach into the side drawer of the desk and pull out a sealed scroll. "Sakura, I have a mission for you." The woman tossed the scroll to the kunoichi who caught it effortlessly and peeled back the wax seal.

Her heart sank as she recognized the symbol on the page. It was for the Hidden Cloud village. Sighing, Sakura unrolled the scroll and read the mission statement. "It's a small village in the mountains, and has recently allied itself with Konoha. A few of the village elders have fallen ill and the medical team there has narrowed it down to poison…but from there they're in the dark. They've asked for a poison expert."

Sakura looked up from the scroll in her lap and scowled. "Why not send Shizune? She's far better at poison than I am. I'm still practically a novice."

Tsunade turned her sharp eyes to the young kunoichi and pursed her lips. "You know good and well you're not just a novice, Sakura. Besides, how many missions are you going to get to after your wedding?" Sakura blinked before turning her gaze back to her lap. She was right. Although many ninja still took missions after being married, Sakura knew Kyo wouldn't approve. He wanted her to stay at the hospital, and eventually become an official like he was.

But her heart was attached to the shinobi way and though her new mission would be in one of the stormiest places she had ever experienced, just being able to be going made her heart swell. Nodding, Sakura folded the scroll back up. "Alright. What do I need?"

Tsunade pressed her hands together in front of her in thought. "I'll clear your access to the medical supply building and the green houses. The Hidden Cloud shinobis have comprised a list of herbs they need and have already tried. You can start there." The Hokage handed Sakura a slender, gold key with a tag hanging from the end that read 'visitor' for the medical supply.

Sakura slipped it into her pocket and gathered her jacket and scroll in her arms as she stood.

"Oh, did you see Kakashi in the hallway when you came in?"

"Yes, Shishou."

"Let him look over the scroll and tell him to be ready to leave at dawn, tomorrow." The pit of Sakura's stomach dropped to her feet as she jerked her head toward the Hokage, her eyes wid. Swallowing slowly, the kunoichi smoothed her hand over her hair and cleared her throat. "Uh, K-Kakashi-sensei?"

"Yes, he's going to be your escort. I don't need my best medical ninja injured by some bandit. Besides, he knows the way better than anyone else and has met with the Raikage before. He'll be beneficial for you on this mission." She made a shooing motion with her hand for Sakura to hurry and leave before returning her forehead to the palm of her hand once more. Taking a deep, shaking breath, Sakura opened the office door and stepped out into the dim hallway.

Kakashi was still at the other end, leaning against the wall as still as a statue. Sakura cursed her luck. Anyone else, that's all she had to request, just anyone besides Kakashi. She would rather endure Chouji, chomping and scarfing down bags upon bags of crisps the entire mission rather than Kakashi.

It was awkward. And now she had to force herself to speak to him.

Clearing her throat, Sakura thrust the mission scroll toward him and shook the hair from her eyes. "Here."

He looked over the top of the book and glanced from her outstretched hand to her eyes. Sakura felt her face heat up as he stared at her before plucking the scroll form her hands. She shifted on her feet and cleared her throat nervously, unable to wrack her brain for anything to say. "Well, I guess…we'll see each other at dawn." With that, she turned on her heel and hurried to the stairs.

Just as she grabbed the railing, Kakashi called her back. "Sakura."

"Look." She sighed before turning around, her hands raised in defense. "We really don't have to talk about anything. I made a huge mistake and I think it would be best if we just forgot that whole thing happened and ignore it."

Kakashi stared at her through his one exposed eye and folded his arms over his chest. "Well, though I do agree with you, all I was going to say was that you dropped this." He held out the gold key that she hadn't noticed fall from her pocket. Embarrassment searing her cheeks, Sakura snatched the key and mumbled thanks before hurrying down the stairs.

She took her time in the medical supply building, packing two full bags of herbs and equipment she would be needing, all the while trying to go over several conversations in her head. On one side, she was trying to predict what Kyo would say about her leaving for a while. She had no idea how long she would be gone, but she planned to get there and try her hardest to hurry it along. If she had to lose sleep for a few weeks, then so be it.

While she debated on what to say to her fiancé to reassure him she would be fine, her thoughts were interrupted by flashes of Kakashi-sensei's smirk hidden behind that mask. She truly had no idea why the whole situation was still bothering her. Nothing had happened beyond her drunkenly touching him and though they had _almost_ kissed, they hadn't. So there was no reason for her to dwell on it.

Sakura dusted her hands and knees off as she stood, her medical bags heavy with everything she needed. She returned the key to the guard by the door and set off for home. Even though her arms were full and heavy from the bags, she still took her time, trying to pick exactly what to say.

As she walked in and set the equipment on the floor by the door, Kyo looked up from his newspaper and smiled sweetly. He was sitting on the comfortable leather couch that Sakura had fallen asleep on several times. It wasn't like the springy, hand me down she used to have. No, she had only brought over a few book shelves and lamps from her old apartment.

It had never upset her before…but for some reason, Sakura couldn't help notice that her lamps she had placed on the end tables were replaced with newer, more pricey lighting. "Where are my lamps?" She pointed to the table nearest to her and stared at her fiancé with a questioning stare.

"Are you going somewhere?" Kyo ignored her inquisition and pointed to the black bags at her feet. Sighing, Sakura nodded and handed him the Hidden Cloud scroll that had her mission on it. "You're going all the way to the Hidden Cloud? It's almost Winter. You'll catch your death up there." He shook his head as if in disappointment before standing.

"I'll be fine. It's not for very long."

"Let me talk to Tsunade-sama. I can get someone else."

"Well, they requested a poison specialist and you know Shizune herself trained me. It's been so long since I got to put my training to good use."

Kyo clucked his tongue before dropping his arms at his sides in defeat. He nodded, but his face told Sakura that he was anything but happy about it. "Come here." He wrapped his arms around her and kissed the top of her pink head. "I just worry about you. You're not going alone are you?"

Sakura swallowed as she pressed her face against his soft, linen shirt on his chest and sighed. "No. Kakashi-sensei is going as my guard."

"Good. I'll have to have a word with him before you leave. Make sure he knows that your protection is of utmost importance."

"Well, you see, you won't get a chance to talk to him because we're leaving at dawn." She should have kept her mouth shut. She would have had she known that Kyo would have gotten so angry that he marched toward the Hokage's office despite her attempts to stop him.

Standing in the empty apartment after he slammed the door behind him, Sakura decided to take a quick shower and get in bed. Tomorrow would be a long day and she didn't feel like waiting up on her fiancé to return so they could argue. Sakura reached over the bedside table and switched the light off. As she laid her head on the pillow, her tiredness caught up with her and she yawned loudly.

Sleep took over her and the last thought she had swirling through her head was where in the world her lamps had disappeared to.

* * *

_AN- Oh my gosh, I can't believe I got so many reviews for chapter one! I was not expecting that at all so thank you guy's for reviewing and adding me to your alerts! It was incredibly flattering! I hope you like the rest of the story just as much!_


	3. Leaving

_Between Sheets_

_Disclaimer: I own nothing from the Naruto universe. :) Enjoy!_

_Chapter 3: Leaving_

* * *

Four A.M. came much too early for the kunoichi and she had to peel herself from the soft, warmth of her mattress. Stretching, Sakura put her feet on the floor and looked back, expecting to see the sleeping form of Kyo next to her. The bed was still made on his side. Frowning, Sakura wrapped her robe around her frame and crept to the living room.

Kyo laid face down on the leather couch one arm dangling over the floor, his clothes disheveled. He was wearing what he had been the night before and Sakura could see an empty scotch glass lying by his fingers. She frowned and decided that if he didn't care enough to come to bed, she wouldn't wake him up to say goodbye.

She dressed quickly in a pair of tight fitting, black pants that were suited for long distance running. She buckled her belt around her waist and slipped her kunai and extra shuriken's into their pouches before grabbing her fitness bra. With a loose, white shirt over it, Sakura pulled her hair into a pony tail and grabbed the bags she had packed the night before and slipped them over her shoulders.

As she walked to the door, she looked back at the man, snoring drunkenly. It hurt to know that she wouldn't see him for however long and he hadn't even bothered to say goodnight or goodbye to her. There was no telling what he had said to the Hokage or if he had even made it to the office at all. Too proud to wake him up to say good bye, Sakura grabbed the medical bags and slid the door shut behind her.

The sun was barely starting to peek over horizon and she knew her former sensei would be late as usual. He would be late to his own wedding…if he ever decided to get married. He was a shinobi to the core, and had probably come to the conclusion a long time ago that he wouldn't ever be tied down.

Sakura sighed as she made her way to the gates of the village and leaned against the enormous, green doors that lead out of the town. They were cracked open and the shinobi on guard duty sat back in the booth to the side, his arms stretched behind his head, lazily.

Pursing her lips, Sakura checked her watch. It was half past 5 in the morning and the sun was already rising above the tree tops of the forest. By the time it was over head and the morning was in full swing, Sakura was fuming. She tapped her foot angrily, arms crossed over her chest as she waited impatiently. She swore under her breath to strangle the Copy Ninja when he finally decided to show his face.

Only ten minutes later did the ninja stroll up, waving happily to Sakura. "Sorry I'm late. I had a nightmare in the middle of the night and must've knocked my alarm clock off the bedside table. It's completely destroyed."

She rolled her eyes and pulled the straps of her backpack. "Shove it. I couldn't care less." She said before turning to stomp down the gravel road in front of her. Kakashi followed suit and sighed. "It was my favorite alarm clock, you know."

"Don't care."

"He even had a name."

Raising an eyebrow, Sakura glanced at the ninja out of the corner of her eye, unable to keep the corner of her lips from lifting. "It was a 'he'?"

He glanced at her and smiled from behind the fabric of his mask. "Mmhm. His name was Herman."

"Herman? That's a horrible name."

"No it isn't. It's a perfectly suitable name for an alarm clock."

Sakura scoffed and decided to not make fun of him any further. Besides, she wanted to get as far as she could before stopping for the night. Anything to make the trip go by faster. "I was thinking," She started as she fished the map out of the bottom pouch of her pack. "That if we head due north on these roads and then take north east around here," She pointed to the land between Fire Country and Lightning country, "we should be there in two days."

Kakashi tapped his chin in thought before shaking his head. "Won't work. These roads are closed now. So we'll have to take this one and if my memory is correct, then it'll only take us a day and a half. Especially if we hurry." Her eyes narrowed into slits as he smiled. "You're cute when you try to take the lead." Kakashi ruffled her hair, took one of the packs from her shoulder and leapt into the tree tops, leaving the kunoichi to stare after him.

Faltering in her step, Sakura stared up at the Copy Ninja as he beckoned her to the tree tops with a wave of his arm. "Coming?" He called down to her. She hadn't expected him to call her cute, and though it definitely wasn't the first time, it certainly felt different. For one, she wasn't a little girl anymore, fighting with two boys for her sensei's attention.

Trying to ignore the fact that her stomach was fluttering as if a swarm of butterflies had been released into her navel, Sakura followed her sensei into the trees. They ran alongside each other for an hour or so in silence and she was thankful it was comfortable. Neither of them expected a sudden conversation and Sakura was relieved she didn't have to force words that she knew would fumble and embarrass her.

"Did Tsunade happen to mention the level this mission is ranked?" He asked, looking back at her as they leapt off another tree branch. Frowning, Sakura tried to remember the upper left hand corner of the scroll where the rank was always placed.

"It's C, but can elevate to B depending on the circumstances. Why?"

He shrugged and smirked, making his mask shift against his face. "There's a fair share of hot springs in Lightning Country. I was just wondering if there'd be an opportunity to enjoy them."

Sakura scoffed, trying not to think about Kakashi, nude in a hot spring tub. Shifting the pack on her shoulders to alleviate the strain against her muscles, the kunoichi picked up her pace and fell beside the Copy Ninja. "Forever lazy, Kakashi-sensei."

"It's lazy of me to want to relax in a hot pool?"

"No, it's lazy to be thinking of relaxing when we have a mission."

"My mission is far different from yours. All I have to do is make sure you're protected from whatever dangers may come our way."

Sakura faltered. This was true, and though she didn't know how she felt about it just yet, a part of her was slightly excited that he would be guarding her. Quickly, she pushed the feeling deep down in a quiet place to be ignored and shook her head. "True, but I won't be frequenting the hot springs on this mission, so hate to burst your bubble."

Kakashi glanced at her and something dark passed over his face. "That's a shame." He said, the words simple but Sakura couldn't help wonder if something was tucked behind them as a secret. It made her stomach muscles clench and she nearly smacked her head on a low hanging branch.

Dodging around it, she closed the gap between herself and Kakashi just a bit, her shoulder grazing his. Her breath caught in her throat and she averted her gaze quickly. "Kakashi-sensei…" She warned, not exactly sure what she should say next. 'Don't think about me in the hot springs? Don't tempt me to get in them with you? Just leave me alone?' No. He wasn't thinking about her like that.

Whatever had appeared behind his eyes disappeared and the ninja kept his eyes straight ahead. "Relax, Sakura."

"I'm sorry. I guess I'm still a little ashamed of how I…" She trailed off and bit her lip.

"Sakura. No matter how strongly you come on to me, I would never do anything like that. We're team mates and more importantly we're friends." He smiled warmly to her and her anxiety faded a bit. "Besides, I'm not quite sure you would be able to handle it."

Sakura's step faltered at his words as her eyes widen. Reaching out for the nearest tree branch, she steadied herself and had to find her breath that had frozen in her lungs.

Sakura was no virgin. She had lost her innocence a few years ago on one of her random, drunken nights with Ino at the bars. It was an embarrassing experience, one that she chalked up to alcohol and forgot about. She should have learned then not to let the blonde get her drunk. Her sexual partners came to a halt at a whopping height of 2 men, and one was her soon to be fiancé.

Sex to her was a necessary release to a situation brought on by her raging hormones. Kyo had made love to her on their one month anniversary and it had been nice. Though she was no expert, she knew that he was very skilled as a lover and made her feel good, but not as great as she had heard other women describe. In the locker rooms of the hospital she heard the bad gossip and smut stories of the 'orgasmic' experiences the other nurses had. It didn't make sense of Sakura, though. Out of the six or seven times she had had sex in her life, there was nothing about it that she couldn't _handle_.

It was sex. A basic human act and she had studied it in biology and anatomy texts, not to mention the psychological aspects of how sex work. She knew what it was about, knew there were hundreds of different kinds of sexual acts, and never did she think she wouldn't be able to _handle it_. Kakashi-sensei was arrogant, and annoyance flashed inside her.

Regaining her speed, she quickly regained her spot back at his side and scoffed. "Oh really? I've heard boys boast about their prowess and let me tell you, I've also heard from the girls they've displayed this prowess to and it's nothing special."

Kakashi 'hmmed' and nodded as if he were genuinely mulling over her statement. How drastically the conversation had turned in just a short amount of time. Sakura wasn't sure how it even happened.

"True. Boys do tend to over exaggerate their abilities. But, I'm not a boy. How about we rest here and eat?" Without waiting for an answer, the ninja settled back against the thick tree trunk and slid the straps of his pack down his arms. He pulled the canteen from the outside pouch and took a small sip, wiping the moisture from his mask.

Sakura didn't feel like eating right then. She needed to clear her head, get Kakashi and sex and the dangerous combination of both of those things out of her head. Reaching into her own pack, she pulled out a small water bottle and took a drink before wandering into the woods.

The sun was trying to peek through the canopy the branches wove above her head. It was cooler in the shade and she sighed heavily as she leaned her head back against the trunk of a tree. Kakashi wasn't far from her, kneeling on the ground with a book opened in front of his face. She could see him through the underbrush and tried not to stare as he ran a hand through his hair before turning the page.

For a man in his thirties, he didn't look a day older than when he did when Sakura first met him. In fact, the only part that has changed is everything outside of him, his clothes, his reading material, his new flac jacket. Very briefly, his half-lidded eye looked over the pages and caught sight of her. She quickly averted her eyes and cleared her throat, her cheeks heating suddenly. So much for the shade cooling her off.

As soon as she made her way back to the Copy Ninja he was packing his canteen and book into his pack. He glanced quickly at her and she smiled nervously. What was happening to her? She was acting as if she had never met him before, as if he were completely new to her. Maybe their incident had changed their relationship -friendship- and it was as if they were starting over.

"I had a visit from someone last night. Someone you might know."

Sakura raised a pink eyebrow as she slipped her arms through the straps of her pack. "Who?"

"I believe he was your fiancé."

Fear ran cold through Sakura's veins and she could feel the world tilting slightly beneath her sandals. Oh, god no. She wanted to sit down. Had he told Kyo about the other night? Was that why he hadn't joined her in bed and had drunk himself to sleep? "What? D-Did you tell him anything?"

Kakashi stared at her for a second and his apprehension only fueled Sakura's fear. "Of course I told him something. It would have been rude to not respond."

Anger joined the mixture of emotions in her body and her fists clenched, ready to strike. "You know what I mean."

"He told me to keep a watch over you which I responded by reminding him that that was precisely my mission and I wouldn't let a hair on your head get harmed."

"So you didn't tell him about the other night?"

Kakashi shrugged and looked up into the trees. "Why would I tell your fiancé anything like that? Isn't that _your_ responsibility?" He asked before leaping upward onto a branch. "Let's get a move on."

She couldn't 'get a move on' though. Her feet were stuck, planted firmly in the ground like the trees that surrounded her. Something in Kakashi's tone made her heart clench in guilt. Was he insinuating that she should have told Kyo? No. It was a mistake. One she would never going to let happen again.

Sakura shook her head, clenched her fists at her side and hurried after her former sensei. With anger, guilt, and still a bit of anxiety fueling her drive, Sakura surpassed the Copy Ninja in the trees, leaping over and under branches. They didn't speak for the rest of the day, concentrating solely on getting to their destination in the fastest amount of time.

Well after night fall, Kakashi dropped out of a tree to the ground with the pink haired kunoichi following behind. The trees gave way into a large field of tall grass that rippled with the breeze. The half-moon high in the sky gave the ninja enough light to see by and Sakura couldn't deny how beautiful it really looked. She shivered against the wind and pulled her warm jacket around her shoulders. "We can sleep here. If you look for some wood for the fire I'll set up our sleeping bags."

She nodded and went back into the small grove of trees, gathering limbs and stray twigs in her arms. By the time she had a good armful and made it back to the camp, Kakashi had set up their sleeping bags and a fire pit. She put the wood in the small circle of stones before he lit them of fire.

Sakura's stomach was growling by the time she made her way to her sleeping bag and she rummaged through her pack for her granola bars. As she unwrapped the foil and ate nearly half in one bite, she sat back and stared across the flickering flames. Kakashi was laid out on his back, arms folded behing his head as he stared at the sky.

The fire made it hard to see the stars, but Sakura gasped as she looked up at the expanse of the sky. Her energy bar forgotten, she chewed slowly as she tried to look for the constellations she had studied with her mother as a child. She laid back on her flat, poor excuse for a pillow and traced the starry patterns with an outstretched finger.

The bear, hunter, and scorpion were all there and she was pleased with herself for remembering their shapes. Sakura wondered briefly if she would teach her children to find the patterns, and tell them the myths of the stars. The idea seemed bizarre.

She couldn't picture her children. They were blurs in her mind's eye and this confused her. Did that mean she wouldn't have them…or she didn't want them?

Rolling over with a sigh, Sakura faced the fire and stared at the man across from her. His eyes were closed and his breathing steady and slow. She had to stare at his chest and hold her own breath just to see his rise and fall. Seeing Kakashi so relaxed and laid back was normal. Outside of a mission of importance, he was notorious for his laziness. But something about seeing him lay beneath the stars, relaxed made the breath in Sakura's lungs stick.

She wondered what it felt like to know Kakashi. To really _know_ him. He was such a mystery. Did he have a girlfriend, did he have a boyfriend? Was he even interested in sex? Yes, Sakura decided. Why would he read those adult books if he didn't think about sex?

Sakura pulled her hand under her cheek and bit her lower lip. What if she hadn't stopped herself the other night? Kakashi had said he wouldn't have let anything happen between them, but hindsight was always 20/20. And what had he said? She wouldn't have been able to handle it?

She sat up on her elbow and frowned. "What did you mean earlier?" The words were out of her mouth before she could stop herself and as Kakashi opened one eye to stare at her as she blushed. Hopefully the fire and shadows prevented him from seeing her pink cheeks.

"About what?"

Her words stuck like glue in the back of her throat. What was wrong with her? He had told her numerous times that nothing would have happened and she knew it would be best for them to forget it ever happened…So why was she so curious? Sakura clamped her bottom lip between her teeth as she glanced out over the field, her heart thumping wildly beneath her chest.

"About…not being able to handle it…"

Silence stretched between them and Sakura was beginning to think he wasn't going to answer her. But after what felt like half an hour, the ninja sat up on his elbow and tilted his head at her.

"Why do you ask?"

"Honestly, I have no idea. I guess I'm curious as to what you meant."

"What do you think I meant?"

Sakura cleared her throat and shifted on her sleeping bag, the fabric bunching around her waist. She smoothed it down and stared at her fingers twisting a small string around her cuticle. "That I'm inexperienced."

He didn't respond and Sakura glanced up. Kakashi shrugged gently as he sat up, folding his legs under himself. "Sakura, you made it clear that you didn't want to discuss this subject anymore."

"I know, I just-" She just what? Wanted to know what it would have been like if she hadn't stopped herself at the bar? What sex with Kakashi-sensei would have been like? Was he gentle, rough, amazing? Her entire body tingled at the thoughts and she wanted to kick herself for ever asking. "I'm not, you know…inexperienced."

"Oh."

More silence passed and Sakura couldn't help biting her lip as she looked over the flames to him. He still sat with his elbows on his knees, hunched over, but his gaze made her suck in her breath. He was staring at her, and for once she could see that he looked at her like an adult…not like the crying, love-sick Sakura 8 years ago. The muscles in her lower abdomen clenched and she licked her suddenly dry lips.

Their stares were broken when Kakashi ran a hand over his face and sighed. "Sakura-"

"I could handle it." Her words sent sparks through her own body and half of her couldn't believe she was saying these words, and the other half was screaming at her to get a grip. She was engaged. But in a roundabout way, Kakashi had challenged her with his comments and she could feel herself wanting to prove him wrong.

Her finger was going numb and Sakura glanced down to see that she had wrapped the loose string so tightly the tip of her middle finger was purple. Quickly, she freed her finger and laid back down on her pillow, staring up at the expanse of diamond stars above her. She closed her eyes and inhaled a cool breath, her imagination weaving images of Kakashi above her, holding her arms down against her sleeping bag so she couldn't move.

She wanted to feel his lips beneath his mask and wanted to feel it everywhere on her body. As more and more images unraveled in her head, her body responded and Sakura knew that if she were alone, her hands would be between her thighs already.

It unnerved her that thinking these thoughts didn't make her feel half as guilty as it should have. She had a fiancé waiting at home, trusting her to be faithful. But, she was faithful. She had never and would never compromise their relationship or future marriage…her thoughts were her own and she shouldn't feel ashamed for them.

Sakura felt the heat on her body extinguish, making her peek out of one eye. The fire was gone, replaced with smoking embers and ash. She sat up on her elbows and blinked in the sudden darkness. But, even with only the moon's light she could see that Kakashi's sleeping bag was empty.

As she settled back down, she chewed her lip. She had crossed a line and wondered if tomorrow would be worse or any different at all. At least tomorrow they would be in Lightning Country, and would be able to have rooms apart.

* * *

_AN- Thank you so much for the feedback! I greatly appreciate it and I hope you enjoyed this chapter and stick around for the rest!_


	4. The Climb

_Between Sheets_

_Disclaimer: I own nothing._

_Chapter 4: The Climb_

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Lightning Country, to say the least was miserable. It started raining the morning Sakura and Kakashi woke to an awkward silence and even though her curiosity was piqued, she hadn't asked him about where he had disappeared to the night before.

They had only traveled for a few hours before the trees and forests of Fire country gave way to valleys and rocky bluffs. Their speeds slowed a bit, but Sakura followed Kakashi's pace easily. Sakura's raincoat did little to shield against the rain and cold and fat drops of water rolled down her face as they ran.

Kakashi drove them further upward, leaving the trail that they had been following for another one that lead high up into the mountains. Looking back, Sakura bit her lip. She had a weird feeling that only seemed to grow stronger the further north they went.

"Careful!" Kakashi's hand shot out as Sakura stepped on a loose, crumbling piece of rock on the cliff's ledge and managed to grab her elbow. Gasping, she was pulled into the Copy Ninja's side and he glanced back at the spot where Sakura had just been before turning his scowl to her. Shaken, Sakura straightened her coat and cleared her throat. "Pay attention." He scolded, making her feel an inch high, before turning to continue on.

Sakura frowned and followed behind him, allowing her feet to step only where his had first been. They traveled through the slopes for another hour before Kakashi stopped, landing in a crouch on a bluff edge, looking out before them. Sakura slowed and stopped behind him, and moved her gaze to the direction his was fixed.

Clouds littered the tops of the mountains but she could see buildings jutting out from the rock. There were platforms going from cliff edge to cliff edge and up high to down low. It was a cluster-fuck in her eyes and she bit her lip nervously as she stared at the expanse of the Hidden Cloud village. A tall structure stood out of the fog, the highest peak of the village. It was barely visible through the storm but she could tell it must be their Kage's building. "Rather intimidating, isn't it?" Kakashi mumbled as he stood to his full height.

Sakura nodded as she looked up at him and for once she wished Kyo was with her, to hold her hand and tell her it would be okay and that she could do it. She shook her head and pushed the desire to have him away. She was more than capable of doing this on her own. 'Stop being such a child.' She snapped at herself before straightening her shoulders.

"Right. Let's go."

After they had signed in to the shinobi's guarding the village entrance, they were escorted to the hospital where Sakura let out her breath. It was nice to be familiar environment and she welcomed the sterile smell of cleaner and antiseptic spray. The woman who was the nurse on duty ushered them quickly down the dim hallways of the building. She repeated everything Sakura already knew about the situation, emphasizing how important it was for the kunoichi to find out what was going on.

The woman, who looked older than dirt, was hunched and wrinkled and coughed into her elbow as she opened a closed door with 'Keep Out' written in black letters on it. "This way." She rasped and nodded inside.

The room they were lead into was brighter than the hallway and Sakura could hear the soft beeps of the heart monitors. A small table was set up with various vials and notes scribbled across each one. Toward the back of the room a pale green curtain was drawn, blocking the patient from Sakura's view.

A man stepped out from behind it, tall and a tad on the chubby side, with small wire glasses sitting on his nose. He had a white over coat on and a clipboard in his hands. "This is Shun. He's been working on the patients from day one."

Sakura smiled to Shun and set her pack on the floor before greeting him warmly. The woman left the two ninja with Shun and closed the door behind her. "Is that the patient?" Sakura pointed behind the curtain and the man nodded.

"Yes, I've had to sedate him to get him asleep. He's not doing well at all." He handed the clipboard over to the pink haired girl and glanced cautiously at Kakashi. "You're from Konoha, right?"

"Yes."

"And you're an expert in Poison?"

Sakura looked up slowly and blinked. "Yes."

Shun laughed and rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "I didn't mean any disrespect. You're just so young. Around here, pretty girls are more interested in shopping or dates." From behind them, Kakashi made a sound that resembled a snort, making Sakura glare at him from over her shoulder. If Shun noticed, he didn't make it known and instead stood shoulder to shoulder to the kunoichi, pointing down at the clipboard in her hands.

"I've noted the symptoms of both the patients from this week. They match the two others that have already died. We've tried to extract the poison but there's so much of it and it's dispersed through the body, it's nearly impossible to pull it all out. Well, impossible for us. We're only novices."

Sakura frowned, pointing to the empty bed beside them. "Where's the other patient?"

"He died this morning. Went into cardiac arrest and there was nothing we could do." Sakura frowned and glanced at the Copy Ninja behind her. He stared at her, the expression on his face unreadable. Pursing her lips, the kunoichi nodded. "Is the body still here?"

Though Sakura had wanted to jump right into examining the deceased patient, they were instead lead to their living arrangements in the hospital staff apartments. Her room was directly across the hall from Kakashi's and the thought of being so close to him made her stomach flutter nervously. She shut the door behind her and stared at the small one bedroom apartment before her.

A bed was pushed against the wall and a desk was placed under the window toward the back of the room with a door leading to a bathroom on the opposite wall. No closet. Sakura frowned and unpacked her bag, folding her clothes into the drawers of the desk.

As she opened the door to the bathroom, the shower was what her eyes immediately landed on. After a day and a half of traveling, a shower was exactly what she needed. She turned the warm water on and stepped in, sighing happily in the stream of heat. For a minute, she stood under the jets and let the water pour over her head.

Last night felt like a month ago and Sakura still wasn't sure what had come over her to ask her former sensei those questions. It made her blush just thinking about it. She bit her lip as she remembered her vision of Kakashi holding her down to the sleeping bag as he lay above her. Would he press his hips into hers? Would he bite? Unaware of her traveling hand, she gasped as her fingers pinched her taut nipple, sending electric jolts zigzagging through her body.

Sakura's eyes snapped open and she blushed furiously at herself. Rinsing off, she stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around her body and hair. 'Focus, girl! You have a job to do now.'

After dressing, Sakura twisted her wet hair into braid and pushed her Leaf headband back over her forehead. She found Kakashi waiting in the hallway, leaning against the wall beside her door, one foot propped back behind him. His book snapped closed as she shut the door behind her and she smiled politely. "Well, the smell is gone."

"Are you implying I stunk?"

Kakashi shrugged and waved a hand over his nose. "I'm not saying anything…but it was getting bad." Sakura smacked his shoulder hard enough to make him stumble in his step. He laughed as he rubbed the spot she hit as they walked back to the hospital.

Shun was waiting on them on the first floor and smiled at the sight of Sakura. He still hadn't acknowledged Kakashi with more than a glimpse his way. He led them down a staircase where the lights were dim and the floors were covered in a small sheen of water. "The morgue is at the end of the hallway." He pointed to a large, metal door at the back of the hall. The handle was large and had a padlock and chain to keep any unauthorized person out. He handed a small key to Sakura and told her it was hers to use for the time being.

"We keep the bodies for a day before we have to send them on. The others have already been buried." He sighed and stuck his key into the lock before opening the door with a grunt. Cold air rushed out over Sakura's feet and she shivered, her toes curling in her shoes. The morgue and cadavers never bothered her. She had to work on them for her medical training and had gotten used to the lifeless shells.

With Kakashi right behind them, Shun pointed to a closed door and opened it. He pulled out the metal platform the body was lying on and as he pulled back the sheet, Sakura couldn't help letting her eyebrows lift in surprise. "He died this morning?" She asked quietly, as she was handed two rubber gloves.

The corpse was, to say the least, horrible looking. Though rigor mortis had set in, the man looked as if he had been dead a week, instead of a morning. With sunken eyes and skin hanging loose, Sakura pushed her sleeves up and pulled the sheet back to the man's waist. "Do you know how they've been poisoned? Injected…or?"

"We don't know. Each came into the infirmary with flu like symptoms that grew violent. Vomiting, high fever, fatigue, each complained they were freezing and couldn't stop shaking. We checked the first for poison, but couldn't find any. It wasn't until the second one came in with the same symptoms that we caught any trace of poison at all. They each died four days after coming in." Sakura nodded and let her hands hover over the chest, channeling her chakra to her palms. The worst thing about examining the deceased was the feeling of nothing. No pulse, no heartbeat, no blood flowing through the veins, it was all too quiet.

Sakura let her chakra flow into the body, weaving over the dead organs and still beating heart. She could see how worn it had become. He had died from cardiac arrest, but the man's heart felt as if it had been through a blender, shredded almost. Frowning, Sakura moved on to the intestines, stomach, and liver, finding nothing out of the ordinary. She withdrew her chakra and shed the gloves in the nearby trash bin, unable to help her glance up at Kakashi. He was as impassive as ever, but his eye caught hers momentarily, making her heart flutter.

"I'll need to give the other patient an examination and see if I can extract the poison from him. Is now a good time?" Shun nodded and locked the morgue back up behind them.

By nightfall, Sakura was exhausted. She had pulled the poison out of the patient, but his health seemed to worsen by the hour. His fever spiked dramatically and though they managed to get him sedated and resting, the incident unnerved Sakura. She got the files from each patient and studied them in her room, spreading the papers out on the desk in front of her.

Each victim had been a village elder and practically sealed off from contact with the citizens. The only ones who ever saw the man still alive the few days before he was admitted were his private servant and the Raikage of Hidden Cloud. Though she ruled neither a suspect, Sakura had to keep them listed just in case.

After an hour of poring over each document, her eyes were strained and beginning to cross. She sat back and pinched the bridge of her nose before a knock at her door startled her. With a quick glance down at herself to see if she was properly dressed, she said 'come in' and the door cracked a bit. Kakashi's familiar white head poked through the open door and Sakura smiled softly.

"Hungry?"

Her stomach rumbled before she could respond. Kakashi opened the door wider and stepped in, a brown paper bag clutched in his gloved hands. The smell from the bag immediately made the kunoichi's mouth water and she took it hungrily. She pulled out a covered plate of dumplings and red beans and could practically feel the drool pouring from her mouth.

"Kakashi-sensei, you've read my mind!" She immediately scooped a dumpling up and couldn't help the 'mm' sound she made at the taste. After eating next to nothing the day they left Konoha, her stomach was thankful for the real meal instead of a wrapped energy bar.

Kakashi smiled and stood with his own bowl in the middle of the room. Sakura stood up, and sat on the edge of the bed. "Here, sit down." He obliged and swirled the chair toward her work, leaning over the pages for a glance. "You've done a lot in such a short time."

Sakura shrugged over her dumplings. "I'm just trying to get this solved as fast as I can so I can get home." To her fiancé. To get married. To a life where she would be just like her mother. Sakura shook the thought from her head quickly and concentrated on her food. With his back turned to her, Kakashi ate quietly as he looked over the pages.

Very carefully, Sakura leaned forward on the mattress and tried to catch a glimpse of the ninja's face but could see no more than a glimpse of a pale cheek or jaw. Frowning, she settled back on the bed and looked down at the half eaten box on her lap. She would have to save the rest for later.

Clamping the lid over the food, Sakura dusted her hands off and stood, making her way to stand beside Kakashi in front of the desk. His mask was already in place as she glanced down and she mentally cursed his quickness. "Is this the sample?" Kakashi pointed to a small microscope she had snatched from the lab and Sakura nodded.

She had drawn up a few samples and ideas for an antidote before moving on to her list of the victims and Kakashi looked over her work in silence. "No leads so far, hmm? Would you mind if I made a copy of these files?"

"No, go ahead. I could use all the help I can get. I'm still not sure why Tsunade-sama sent me up here in the first place. This seems like something Shizune is much better suited for."

Kakashi glanced up at her, the corner of his eye creasing slightly. "You don't give yourself enough credit. I've seen you work, both back home and on the field and it's very impressive Sakura."

Blushing crimson, she tucked a strand of pink hair behind her ear and shrugged. "Not really. It's basic stuff. Any medic nin could do it."

"But they wouldn't. They would complain the entire time about having to be so far from home, and yes, I realize that back in the day you would be the first to complain…but you've grown up in a lot of ways. Especially as a kunoichi."

'Grown up in a lot of ways'. The words made her blush deeper and Sakura was suddenly aware of how close he was to her. His knees were nearly touching hers and with one simple step, she could be in his lap, pressing against him the way she had wanted to the night at the bar.

Her fingers twitched at the thought and Sakura had to physically move herself away from the man before she did something she would regret. As she made her way back to sit on the bed, Sakura's heart thundered in her chest. She took a breath and leaned back on her sweating palms. "You don't believe me, do you?"

"About what?"

"About being able to handle it." What was wrong with her? It was as if some horrid alter ego forced her way into Sakura's subconscious when Kakashi was around, turning her into some horny harlot. She felt like two completely different people; a nice kunoichi with an incredible fiancé on one side, and this needy jezebel on the other who had been awakened from a deep sleep the night at the bar.

She wouldn't stop until she had humiliated Sakura further and possibly ruined her engagement. 'All I need is one night to see,' a voice in her mind stated, quite simply. Sakura's insides flared as Kakashi's gaze slid over to hers. "Why are you so adamant about this?"

"Because I'm curious as to what you think is so damn hard for me to handle."

"You're very confusing, you know that?"

"How so?" Sakura sat up and crossed her legs under her, the mattress squeaking from the movement. The man across from her sat forward in the chair, resting his arms on his knees as he stared at her.

"Before we left Konoha, you made it very clear that you made a mistake, and yet the moment we step outside the village you won't let it go."

"You were the one who made the comment about me not being able to handle you."

"Because I wanted to rile you up, not turn you on to me."

Sakura's insides both deflated and flared at the same time. Was that what was happening to her? Was she being turned on by Kakashi? Her inner voice whispered 'yes' and she bit her lip. "Isn't riling someone up the same thing as turning them on?"

In one fluid movement, Kakashi was on his feet and beside the bed, looking down at Sakura with such a heated gaze she gasped and fell back on her elbows. "Is that what I'm doing to you?"

"W-what?" She asked breathlessly, her eyes travelling down his body. The shirt he wore under his flac jacket was tight across his chest and fit like a second skin. She could see the lines of his muscles under the fabric, even as it disappeared beneath the waistline of his pants.

Before she could register in her head what was happening, Kakashi was leaning over her, his arms on either side of her shoulders. His face was inches from hers and if she lifted her chin just a bit they would be kissing.

Her sensible side was screaming at her to kick him away, to tell him to go back to his room and leave her alone…but she was smothered quickly as Kakashi's finger slid along her jawline, tipping her chin back a bit. Her breath was frozen in her lungs and she was desperate to breathe in and relieve the ache in her chest but all she could do was stare with wide eyes.

"Are you turned on?"

Was she? No one had asked her that before. She thought back to all of her sexual experiences and couldn't remember ever feeling quite like this. She was scared, curious, and tense as if her entire body was on a ledge and she had to keep herself from falling.

The sheets were gripped tightly in her fingers and she closed her eyes. The tightness in her abdomen gave her the answer she needed. Yes. She was very turned on.

Kakashi's hand slid around to the back of her neck and just the simple touch made Sakura arch her back, her breasts grazing his chest slightly. The touch made her nipples spring to life and she nearly cried out at the touch of the fabric of her shirt against them. "Open your eyes." Kakashi murmured so close to her mouth she could feel his breath against her lips. Her eyes flew open and she was unable to contain her emotions from them.

Slowly, he slipped his headband from his head and tossed it on the bed beside them. The pink scar stood out to Sakura and she couldn't help focusing on it instead of the gaze of the other eye. His hand slipped around her waist, circling to the small of her back. He pulled her up, her stomach and chest flush with his.

Everything was happening so suddenly that both sides of her were quiet, scared to evoke him further. She was thankful for the silence in her head so she could focus more on the pounding of her heart. She could feel it in every pressure point on her body; in her neck, her wrists, even between her legs.

Sakura managed to let out a small whimper before Kakashi's lips descended onto hers, mask between them. Her mind completely shut down and all she could do was let her body take over. Her mouth moved against his and her hands found his arms. She couldn't decide whether or not she wanted to pull him close or push him away, and instead focused on gripping his biceps.

The hand on her back moved lower and gripped her ass tightly before sliding downward to her thigh. Kakashi pulled her leg around his waist and the other followed quickly until her ankles locked behind him.

As he pressed her down onto the bed, he pulled her arms free of his and pushed them over her head to hold her down. The tremors in her stomach flared as he did exactly as how she imagined and she could feel her panties growing damper. The feeling of it made alarms go off inside her head. She had to stop.

This was wrong.

Oh God.

Kyo!

As if he sensed her sudden realization, Kakashi was off of her in a flash. Her skin felt cold without his burning against hers and though she knew this was for the best, she still wanted to cry out for him to come back.

It wasn't until the door shut with a soft click did Sakura realize that he was gone. Pushing herself up on her elbows, Sakura stared at her suddenly empty room with wide eyes. Had he even been here at all? Was it all a dream?

Whimpering, Sakura allowed her hand to touch briefly between her thighs and groaned when it came away wet. She fell back against her pillows, her hands gripping the hair on either side of her head in fists.

Despite the cold of the room, her body still felt hot and she needed to release the tension that had built up inside her. But, she was exhausted and knew she would feel even guiltier for pleasuring herself to the thoughts of Kakashi. It was bad enough that it had gone on this far. What had come over her? The annoying jezebel was surprisingly silent inside her head, and her sensible side was left clucking her tongue in disappointment.

"Oh, shut up." She grumbled, pulling the sheets over her head.

* * *

_AN- Don't hate me for this! I know what I'm doing ;) Thank you so much for all the reviews and feedback! I appreciate each and every one of you. _


	5. Distractions

_Between Sheets_

_Disclaimer: I own nothing._

_Chapter 5: Distractions _

If Sakura had thought Kakashi's attitude the next day would prove whether or not she had imagined the night before or not, she was wrong. He was just as impassive as he always was, holding no expression on his face other than pure laziness as he stood like a statue behind her as she worked in the lab.

Shun was tending to Elder Daichi who had taken a turn for the worst in the past few hours. It was only a matter of time, Sakura had been told.

With an eye hovering over the microscope, Sakura described what she saw of the poison on paper and chewed her lip. It looked like a regular mixture that induced flu like illness. She had seen it before in several plants that people mistakenly ate, and the remedy was simple; to wait it out and let the body flush it out.

But, the more it sat in a body, the more displaced it became, breaking down and spreading through the organs. It was baffling, to say the least.

Sakura sat back and rubbed her eyes as she wrote a few more descriptions before sliding her chair over to the table beside her where a book of antidotes was opened. The staff of the village hospital had tried all the ones she would suggest, which means she would have to create her own.

But, how do you create an antidote for something without even knowing what it is? Sighing, Sakura tapped her pen in annoyance on the book and turned to Kakashi. "What time is it?"

He glanced down at the watch on his wrist. "Quarter 'til four."

"Are you hungry?"

His eye swept over her and in one instant she thought she noticed a small spark of something dark, but in the next moment it was gone. "I could eat. Want me to go get us something?"

"Yes please." She fished out a bill from her pocket and handed it to the ninja, knowing he was annoyed by being her body guard. He was the Copy Ninja for heaven's sake…not some errand boy. Her cheeks flushed as that annoying voice in her head reminded her that he wasn't a boy.

Their fingers brushed as he took the money and Sakura's insides flared at the touch. She stared at the door as it slid shut behind him, wondering for the millionth time if she had imagined it all. She could still feel his hips pressing against hers and if she allowed herself to think about it, she could remember the feel of his hardness.

Face flushing crimson, Sakura busied herself with the microscope once more, resuming her scribbling on the notepad beside her. The door opened and Sakura didn't bother lifting her eyes. Kakashi had forgotten something, or Shun was making his way back. "That was fast." She muttered, catching sight of the poisons flowing beneath the lens.

The purple fluid swirled on the glass and Sakura chewed her lip as she stared. Kakashi –or Shun- still hadn't responded.

As she looked up, the blood rushed from her face as a figure dressed in all black stood in the doorway. Their head was covered by a black shroud that shielded her from seeing their face. Gasping, Sakura slid the chair away from the table and rushed to her feet, already channeling her chakra down to her fists. This guy was bad news.

"Who are you? This is a restricted area!"

The figure said nothing and Sakura could hear her heartbeat pounding in her ears as they stared each other down. In a flash, the figure threw six kunai toward her and she dodged them easily. One shattered a vial behind her, making her curse under her breath. It was one of the antidotes she had been working on.

Quickly, Sakura leapt over the table and microscope and pulled her fist back, letting her chakra drive the force behind the punch. She let it fly and the figure ducked, making her slam her fist into the door behind him. It cracked on its hinges and hung haphazardly toward the floor.

Whirling around, Sakura lifted her leg to slam it into their face, but two black covered hands grabbed her around the ankle and twisted, sending her spiraling to the floor. Sakura growled and was on her feet in seconds, but her fall had given the figure enough time to cross over to her work.

He grabbed the microscope, slamming it into the wall before sweeping their arm over the table. The movement sent the vials of poison shattering against the floor. Sakura's eyes widened as she covered her mouth with her elbow. She still hadn't figured out if the poison was ingested or transferred through the air.

"Bastard!" She growled against the fabric of her jacket as she spun and kicked out with her heel, connecting with the shoulder of the figure. The attacker whirled around and lashed out, kunai's held firmly in each hand. She dodged effortlessly and managed to grab one of the blades in her own grasp. It spun easily around in her fingers and she stabbed the dark figure square in the chest.

He faltered and stepped back, staring down at the blade. Sakura had only a moment to smile in triumph before the figure disappeared in a puff of white smoke. "A shadow clone?" She frowned as Shun ran into the room, his mouth hanging open like the door behind him.

He looked down at the broken vials and gaped like a fish out of water.

"Cover your mouth." Sakura barked as she ripped a cloth mask down from the box on the shelf and slipped it over her nose. She handed one to Shun who scrambled to put it on. "W-what happened?"

"Someone sent an assassin."

"What?"

"I'm guessing it's the same person as whoever's poisoning the elders of your village."

She stared angrily at her shattered microscope and antidotes. Purple liquid oozed across the floor and she knew she should set about cleaning it up, but couldn't force herself to move.

"What happened?" Kakashi was by her side suddenly, searching her face for injuries.

"I'm guessing someone doesn't want us here. They destroyed everything I was working on."

She wanted to kick a heel through the wall, but instead knelt to retrieve her notebook from the floor. It was wet with a mixture of liquids. She turned back to Shun who was still trembling and gaping at the scene. "Please tell me there's another poison sample."

"I-I-I…" He pushed a hand through his hair. "I gave you the only one we had."

"Fuck."

Kakashi glanced at her, his eye scolding for her language before he strode out of the room. "I have to start all over again. No, I'm two steps back from that. Now we have to wait until someone else is poisoned so we can get another sample."

Shun was shaking his head, his dark hair falling over his glasses. "I didn't sign up for this. I'm not putting my life on the line for a bunch of elders." Was all he muttered before rushing out of the room, his tail between his legs. Sakura wanted to call him a coward, but knew she was just taking her frustration out on someone who didn't deserve it.

She picked up the glass and put it all in a bio-hazard box before soaking up the poison sample with a rag. She tossed it into the same box and clamped the lid down. Kakashi came back as she stood up, an unreadable expression written across the only part of his face she could see.

"I've alerted the shinobi. They're setting up a guard post around the hospital. Why they didn't already is beyond me." He pushed a hand through his hair and touched Sakura's shoulder. She looked up at him, wishing she could just collapse in his arms and cry like a child. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah. Just pissed…extremely pissed."

He smirked, the fabric of his mask shifting against his face. "Sakura, you're forgetting something rather important?"

She couldn't help but notice the way he said her name. It made her swoon on her feet. She mentally kicked herself and looked at the destruction around her. "What?"

"Me. I've watched everything you did today and I made copies of your notes a few hours ago for my own reading. I'll help you get caught up."

"Oh! Will you really?"

He smiled and ruffled her hair annoyingly. She growled and straightened it quickly. "For a favorite former student, of course." She blushed at his same words he told her before going into the bar. It seemed like such a long time ago since he uttered the phrase to her in the first place, and now…Now, she didn't know what to think.

Just like with her research, she took one step forward and two steps back with Kakashi. He was back to treating her like a kid again, mussing her hair and smirking at her infuriatingly. Her inner harlot frowned and vowed to try extra hard to get him to come back around.

Well past midnight, Sakura and Kakashi had moved into a new research lab as hospital staff worked to repair the damage done to the other. They had recopied her notes and Sakura found that working with Kakashi was easy. His genius was very much helping and Sakura couldn't help but feel incredibly grateful he was there.

As he flipped through the pages of a large, medical journal they had pulled from the downstairs file room, Sakura leaned her head against her palm and stared at the ninja through a curtain of pink. He was concentrating on the words, looking bizarre without a copy of some smut book shoved in his face.

The silence between them gave Sakura's mind a moment to reflect back on the incident before. Not the incident she should be dwelling on, but the one from her bedroom the night before. It was odd how she could remember every detail, from their words to the way his mask felt against her lips, but couldn't remember a thing from the fight.

Both had happened in such a blur, and yet she relived the moments of Kakashi pushing her back against the bed over and over until the space between her thighs was just as wet as it was the night before.

Clearing her throat, Sakura shook her head and tried once again to focus on the antidote list in front of her. The words were beginning to blur together and she had a hard time concentrating. She had been staring at the same page for half an hour and still hadn't read more than a paragraph of her own notes when Kakashi turned to her and stretched. "I think we need to figure out who this culprit is first. I mean, with the attack today it's evident that whoever is behind this is close to the mission. How else would they know that you're here to work on the case?"

Sakura nodded and ran a hand over her hair, staring out at the expanse of notes and questions in front of them. She had never been on a mission like this, with such a mystery and no answer in sight. She almost preferred the kind where they beat someone up and the problem is solved.

"You could be working on figuring out who it is while I work on the antidotes. Talk to the Raikage tomorrow and see if he can give you a list of any people who are around the victims and see if there are any motives."

Kakashi leaned forward in his chair, a playful smirk twinkling in his eye. "I have done this before, you know."

Sakura blushed and pushed a strand of hair behind her ear, letting her gaze fall from his. "Sorry. Sometimes I forget you're still over me." And deep down she wished he was physically over her, holding her down, pressing kisses to her throat. Ugh. She mentally kicked herself as Kakashi chuckled.

"Sakura, we're equals now. No one is over anyone."

Oh. She didn't know why the thought of them as equals shocked her. His strength and abilities seemed so far ahead of her own that she figured he would always be her superior.

Kakashi stood and popped his neck before closing the medical journal on the table with a soft bump. "Let's go to bed. It's been a long day and I have a feeling this mission is only going to get more complicated as the days go by." His words had struck Sakura immediately and though he had said more, all she could focus on was him saying 'let's go to bed'.

Separately, her sensible voice told her. Nodding, she gathered up the documents and vials of the antidotes she managed to recover from the attack. She would guard them in her own room from now on.

The hospital was quiet as they walked to the apartments and an eerie feeling crept up the back of Sakura's neck. She turned over her shoulder and frowned at the empty hallway behind her as the hair on the back of her neck stood on end. "Something wrong?" Kakashi asked, looking in the direction she was turned in.

"No…I guess not."

Once in her room, Sakura planted seals around the door and window just in case her attacker decided to pay her a personal visit. She would be awoken the moment anyone even came to her door and, depending on who was on the other side, would be getting either a rude awakening or not. She settled back against her pillow and stared at the darkened ceiling.

She kept her eyes fixed on the bare bulb high above her and bit her lip, unable to keep her brain focused on one thing for too long. Her life has taken such a strange turn as of late. She had been going straight for so long, her routine embedded in her to her very core; get up, go work 12 hours, come home to Kyo, eat, go to bed and repeat. It was pleasant and she had never any reason to complain.

Yet, in the past four days, since Saturday night on Ino's birthday it seemed like she had stumbled from the straight arrow path and from where she was, she didn't know how to get back. There was a part of her that still had no clue if she and Kakashi had even done anything, that it was a dream and her over active imagination conjured it all up.

But the other part, the part that very recently had been dormant inside her, knew the truth. She knew what it felt like to kiss Hatake Kakashi and though Sakura knew she was one of a possible hundred people who had that privilege, it still amazed her at the thought.

Her fingers traced over her bottom lip absentmindedly as she sighed, still able to feel the mask against her skin.

She had never been kissed like that. She had never seen someone look at her with such lust clouding their eyes.

Sakura's eyes closed as she pictured him above her in her mind, his arms sliding up hers to hold her down to the thin, white sheets. Her stomach fluttered and she shifted, pulling her legs closer together, thighs pressed tightly. A small tremor of pleasure rippled through her midsection and she curled the sheets between her fingers in response.

'You're a horrible person.' Her subconscious said, making her green eyes snap open quickly.

Kyo.

What was she doing, what was she thinking? Was this some sort of fling she needed to get out of her system before she was officially settled down?

Pursing her lips, Sakura rolled over and pulled the blanket up to her neck, snuggling into the warmth though she felt far from it. She frowned against her pillow and decided right then and there that all thoughts of Kakashi-sensei would stop. She wouldn't look at him and she wouldn't think or fantasize about him anymore. And she definitely wouldn't think of him kissing her, or how much she wanted to do it again.

_AN- Hmm, I wonder how long Sakura can keep her mind of Kakashi? Thanks so much for the positive feedback! I was worried about the last chapter a bit! Thanks to all who read and those who review! I'm flattered so many of you have put me on your favorite story/author alerts. It seriously means a lot to me!_


	6. Self Control

_Between Sheets_

_Disclaimer: I own nothing._

_Chapter __6: Self-Control_

Sakura knocked quickly on the door of the apartment adjacent to hers and took a step back, smoothing pink locks down. The weather had cleared up during the night, and the rain had stopped pounding the rooftops. Thick clouds still cluttered the sky, but the day seemed to be dry enough for what Sakura had planned.

She bit her lip as she stared at the door, waiting for her former sensei to answer it. After a night of fitful sleep and dreams filled with Kyo and Kakashi dueling with swords on top of the Hokage monument, Sakura had woken with the intent to put her mind at ease through concentrating solely on her task.

Which unfortunately called for some help at the moment.

The door opened slowly to reveal a very sleepy looking Kakashi. He rubbed his sharingan eye with his middle finger while he stared at the kunoichi in front of him. "Sakura? What time is it?"

"I'm not sure. I've been up for a while."

"Mm. And you thought I needed to be up at such an ungodly hour as well?"

Sakura scowled and crossed her arms over her chest, tapping her foot in annoyance. "No. I need help with something today. Get dressed, we're going mushroom picking."

He stared back at her in silence, his hand still over his scarred eye as her words settled into his head. "Pardon?"

"Just get dressed." She called over her shoulder as she slipped back into her bedroom. She pulled on a pair of boots over her usual black leggings and laced them up to her shins before pulling a jacket over her shoulders. Back out in the hallway, a couple of nurses were heading toward the hospital, pulling thick coats on. An older woman regarded Sakura with a scowl and slowed.

"You're going to need something warmer than that on. Started to snow, it has." She nodded toward the windows a bit further down and Sakura felt her shoulders fall. Snow was not one of her favorite things and the idea of being out in it made her shiver.

But, she needed these particular mushrooms that the supply building had been out of. Sighing, Sakura slipped back inside her apartment to pull on a thick sweater and opted for her long jacket with white fleece around the collar. She pulled the door shut behind her just as Kakashi did the same.

He had a thick, long sleeved black shirt on that did little to hide the muscles of his torso. Even despite the coat he wore, Sakura could still see the bulge of his biceps and the contours of his abs. Her mouth watered at the sight. "So, tell my why you're dragging me to pick mushrooms in such abysmal weather again."

"Abysmal? It's barely snowing. And I've been working all morning trying to figure out these antidotes again. There's a mushroom that grows on the mountain side in this area that has a few medicinal properties. I think they're just what I need." She cleared her throat and handed him a black cloth bag as she attached her own to her belt.

"Any kind of snow is abysmal."

"You know full and well you can block out the cold. Stop complaining." They exited the hospital apartments and as the wind pierced Sakura, she couldn't help immediately regretting her decision. A shiver ran down her spine as she pulled her coat tighter around her frame and buttoned it up to her chin. "Oh_fuck_, its cold."

Kakashi laughed out loud from beside her as he buttoned up as well. "Lead the way, Miss Foulmouth." He held his arm out so she could lead him down the path. The hospital was just below the Raikage building and wrapped around the mountain side in a crescent shape with the path leading down a bit further to the bridge. It was a huge bridge that mirrored the others that connected the mountain peaks, and was held up with huge cables bolted right into the rock.

The village was crowded, despite the weather, and they had to weave their way through the crowds until they were heading out of the village. The further they went toward the outskirts of the village, the few people they came in contact with until the only villagers they saw were wanderers or men covered in soot making their ways out of various mines.

As Sakura lead Kakashi toward the direction she was instructed to by the woman in the green houses, she glanced back at the man following her. His hood was up, with a tuft of white hair poking out from beneath it. He glanced over at her and she blushed before nodding up a steep incline that wound upwards around the mountain. "The woman in the green houses told me to look up here. There's a herd of mountain goats that stay on top…and the mushrooms can usually be found…uhm.." She trailed off as she stepped up on the carved steps.

She didn't really want to talk about digging through goat crap with Kakashi, but she would have to tell him sooner or later. Preferably, she would wait until later. Clearing her throat, she hoisted herself up the first set of steps that jutted from the mountain side.

They made their way up, and up, and finally the incline smoothed out until they were high above the village, surrounded by small shrubs and goats. Sakura looked out across the grassy mountain top that loomed over the snowy village. A sense of vertigo hit her like a punch to the stomach and she had to look down at the ground quickly.

From beside her, Kakashi pushed his hood off of his head and looked out over the herd of goats who bleated their disapproval at the ninja. As he looked over the crowded plane, Sakura took the moment to glance up at him. She bit her lip as she stared at the snowflakes that collected on his white hair and dark eyelashes. A few clung desperately to his mask, melting instantly as soon as they met his hot breath. All too quickly, Sakura's mind spun to what it would feel like to be against that mask once more.

_Focus!_

"Uh, they're in the poop."

Kakashi stared down at her in bewilderment. "What?"

She blushed crimson as she pushed her own hood back. "The mushrooms….they grow in the goat's…uhm…"

"Oh." He looked over at the goats that gnawed on the shrubs and grass and sighed. "You owe me."

Sakura nodded and made her way through the herd before she found a mound in the grass with the brown and white speckled mushrooms sitting on top. She plucked a few of them into her gloved hands and held her palm out to the Copy Ninja. "This is what they look like." She turned one over to show the underside. "The bottoms are black and there are white speckles on top."

He nodded and walked a few steps toward a grove of trees before Sakura tore her gaze away from him to continue her mushroom search. The snow continued to fall softly around them, and the only sounds that passed where the bleats and cries of the goats.

The pouch on her hip was getting rather full after an hour of searching and after plucking a handful of the familiar mushrooms from a patch of grass near a small tree she stood and let her spine pop. As she put the last bunch in the black bag, Sakura glanced back to where she last saw Kakashi. He was kneeling in the center of circle of goats, petting them under their chins with one hand and feeding another two twigs and leaves. Sakura couldn't help the smile that twitched at her lips.

"I think we have enough." She said softly as she made her way up to the group. Kakashi turned and glanced over his shoulder at her before standing to his full height. The goats, noticing that they wouldn't be fed or scratched anymore, made their way away from the two. "Good. I was getting a bit tired of digging through days old goat crap."

She scoffed and tucked a strand of hair behind her head as she took the pouch Kakashi had filled. She was surprised to note that his was a bit heavier than hers. A moment of silence passed, with nothing but snowflakes swirling between them.

With a sigh, Sakura squared her shoulders and lifted her green eyes to Kakashi, her stomach fluttering nervously. Before she could turn and walk back down to the hospital, the voice inside her whispered to her. '_Aren't you just a little bit curious about what he thinks about the other night?_'.

Yes. She was extremely curious.

That was all the little voice needed before she took a deep breath and looked up at the Copy Ninja. "Uhm, about the other night…"

Kakashi didn't look at her. He kept his gaze toward the village, his shoulders straight and tense. Sakura couldn't help noticing he looked like a statue, stoic and unmoving. "I'm not entirely sure what happened, if anything at all, but if it did, I think we need to talk about it."

"You were supposed to tell me no."

"What?"

His eye moved to her and the look he burned into her made Sakura want to take a step back. It should have evoked fear into her, made her want to leave and never look back. But, it didn't. It burned her in a way she had never felt before. "It was a mistake. I thought that if I made the move and you pushed me away, you would stop feeling so guilty about the night at the bar."

"Oh." Sakura bit her lip. She really hadn't felt guilty about that lately. To be honest, she was feeling guiltier about how she hadn't felt bad about the things she had been thinking about her former sensei. She was guilty for not thinking of Kyo in these ways. Her mind was reeling over his words.

So, he had done it to make her mad, to make her feel like he was the creep instead of her? "Why would you do that?"

"Because, I can see how bad you feel every time you look at me. Or how scared you were when I mentioned his name."

His name. Kyo.

"I was more nervous than scared."

For a moment, Kakashi stared at her, letting nothing pass over his face. He was impossible to read and Sakura could feel the tightness growing in the pit of her stomach. She jumped slightly when Kakashi sighed and pushed a hand through his hair. "It makes me nervous that you haven't tried to beat me senseless, yet."

"Yeah me too."

With another heavy sigh, Kakashi reached up and brushed a small piece of hair from Sakura's face, his finger tracing over the slight curve of her jaw. "We're still friends, aren't we?"

Sakura nodded her head, trying hard not to lean into his touch as it warmed her cold cheek. She didn't even want to think about the sadness that settled deep inside her stomach. "Of course." Her words were barely a whisper and she cleared her throat to disguise her disappointment. She shook her head and held up the mushroom pouches, changing the subject to anything to hide her sadness. "Well, we better get back so I can work on these. I think I'm pretty close to finding a good antidote."

As soon as they were back at the hospital, Sakura distracted herself the only way she knew how: Submersing herself in hours and hours of work. The room in which she was currently sitting was small, and different than the others she had been working in. Kakashi insisted they switch rooms every other day since the attack and Sakura had no choice but to agree.

Her initial intent on getting the mission finished as soon as possible became her goal again. She just wanted to get back to Konoha and find her normality once again, if she could. There was a part of her that felt incredibly foolish and naive for thinking that all the strange happenings between her and Kakashi would just cease to exist in every way as soon as they got back to Konoha.

And then, another part held onto the belief.

She would be home, and be one step closer to being married and starting a new chapter of her life. It was a solid plan, and one that she had already committed to. No, that was wrong. She shouldn't be thinking of her marriage as a plan. It was supposed to be something she couldn't wait for and needed to happen.

Sakura bit her lip and glanced down at the sparkling gem on her ring finger. She could have sworn it looked bigger on her finger than it did a few days ago, nearly weighing it down completely.

'Don't be stupid.' She told herself before picking her pen up and scribbling in her notes. She had to concentrate on the task at hand. Once she was finished with this poison fiasco, she could concentrate more on her engagement and what not.

But, even as she positioned her eye back over the lens of the microscope, all she could think about was that in a few short months, she would be trying on wedding gowns, having tea with her mother and her older friends, walking down the aisle, going on her honeymoon. Sakura felt the color drain from her face at the thoughts.

'Focus…' Her sensible side warned inside her head. She blinked a few times and stared into the tube as she studied the drop of antidote on the poison sample. It was reacting nicely and a part of her inflated at the idea that this could be over soon. Before she could shout for joy, the antidote withered under the lens of the microscope and the poison over took it completely.

"Damnit."

Exhausted and thoroughly disappointed in the turn of events, Sakura pushed the microscope away and let her forehead rest on the cool table top. The bubbling of the pots on the burners behind her was all she could hear and she concentrated on them instead of her own thoughts.

It was best for her headache if she didn't think about her life and how crappy it had turned lately. She pressed her fingertips into her temple and made slow circles with them as a knock sounded at the lab door. "Come in." She said, her voice muffled by the table beneath her face.

"Are you alright?" Kakashi's soft voice made her lift her head with a small nod.

"Yeah. I'm just a failure." She sat up and straightened the table as he laid a Styrofoam cup in front of her, the small hole in the lid letting the steam rise. The strong scent of tea roused Sakura from her slump and she sipped it welcomingly. The sweet lemon and orange tea swirled around her taste buds and she couldn't help but moan in delight. "This is delicious. They really know how to make their tea in Kumogakure."

Kakashi chuckled over the edge of his own tea and shrugged. "Well, perhaps they do. But, I made this."

Sakura blushed and looked down at the white, plastic lid. "Oh. It's really good. If being a ninja ever stopped working for you, you could go into the tea business."

He leaned against the counter across from her and laughed beneath his mask. "The thought has crossed my mind a few times. But, I'm afraid I'm in this for life."

Sakura was quiet as she sipped her tea. She knew Kakashi held little interest in things that weren't of the Shinobi way, unless it was Icha Icha, of course. But, the thought of Kakashi living the rest of his life as a ninja seemed a bit sad to the kunoichi. He was ready to die for his profession and that was perfectly fine to him.

It was fine to her too.

She had been through so much as a ninja, stood next to death and stared him down. Though she doubted it, this mission could be her last if something went terribly wrong and that was all there was to it. It should have frightened her, how alright she was with the idea, but it didn't.

Walking down the aisle, now that was a different story.

"Have you ever been in love, Kakashi-sensei?"

He sputtered as he sipped his tea and whipped at the small drops that landed on his mask as she looked up at him in surprise. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean for that to come out of nowhere."

"No, it's fine. I just didn't expect it." Kakashi set his Styrofoam cup on the counter and crossed his arms over his chest, tilting his head to the side in thought. "It's hard to say, really. There were times when I certainly thought I was, but it was either unrequited or just indigestion. Why do you ask?"

Sakura turned her gaze downward at her hands twisting in her lap. She shrugged and shook a strand of pink from her face before answering. She didn't have to look up to know Kakashi was staring at her; she could feel his eyes burning through her. What was she thinking, bringing up love like that? "I don't know."

"Have you?"

She looked up at him, her green eyes narrowed. "Well, yeah. I mean, I wouldn't have agreed to marry someone if I wasn't in love with him." Scoffing, she straightened the already tidy stack of papers in front of her and shoved them into her work folders before picking up her specimens. She placed them gently in the small refrigerator and kicked the door shut with her heel, looking everywhere but at Kakashi.

He stood as still as stone, his tea long forgotten and no longer steaming as he watched her move throughout the room. She placed a few petri dishes in the sink beside the Copy Ninja and scrubbed them vigorously under the stream of warm water, her green eyes narrowed on the task. Sakura was trying desperately hard to not let her anger get to her. Truthfully, she didn't know why the question unnerved her so much, but it was the kind that she would lay awake for hours at night as her mind picked apart every detail about it.

Before she could shut off the water, a firm hand gripped her elbow and turned her around, her bum hitting the counter behind her. Surprise filled her gaze as she stared up at Kakashi's one-eyed stare, the heat behind it searing into her very core. Sakura didn't know whether to be pleased or appalled by the reaction her body had to him. Her two inner voices were quarrelling inside her mind; her harlot begging her to just spread her legs and bring the man closer while the other urging Sakura to punch him through the wall.

'Stop.'

She demanded inside her own head, unable to focus on what Kakashi was doing. The hand that gripped her elbow slid up her shoulder, his bare fingers dancing over the skin under her shirt sleeve. She didn't understand how a touch on her arm could spark something so carnal inside her and she was disgusted that she wished his hand was in another place entirely.

"How do you do this?"

His words made Sakura blink a few times in surprise. She was unaware that she had even done anything besides get angry at him for asking if she was in love. "Do what?"

"You make me feel as though I have no self-control around you." Oh, those were dangerous words. Sakura closed her eyes and clamped her lower lip between her teeth, trying to process what he had said. The two voices inside her mind were silent, sitting back to watch whatever happened. "Please." Sakura's voice was nothing more than a breathless whisper as Kakashi's hand slipped to her neck, teasing the hair at the nape of her neck.

"Please what?" His voice was so low, so hot against her cheek. Sakura could feel her knees shaking beneath her and she gripped the sink to keep from melting to the floor. Kakashi's thumb traced over her lower lip softly before dipping under her chip to tip her head back.

Please what? Please leave me alone? No! Her insides screamed at her, begged her to not send him away, and sighed in relief when she shook her head a bit. There would be no way she could stop him now. Not when every fiber of her being felt like it was being pulled tight and each pluck of the strings sent a river of pleasure rippling through her.

She parted her lips, gasping as they brushed gently against the soft fabric of his mask. He was so close, she could smell the tea he had been sipping on his breath, could taste it on her tongue. Before she could respond and beg him to kiss her, he was suddenly gone. Her skin felt so cold without his touch it made Sakura's eyes snap open. She stared, bewildered at the space where he had once stood and blinked at the sight of Kakashi standing on the opposite side of the room, facing the chart of chakra flow through the body that hung on the wall. "Wha—"

The lab door swung open and Sakura jumped nearly a meter in the air, clutching her heart as it beat a tattoo against her chest. "I have the latest reports on Elder Goro." Shun waltzed into the room, oblivious to the sexual tension that hung heavy in the air and set the clipboard down on the table. He flipped the first page over and tapped his middle finger to his chin. Sakura glanced nervously back to Kakashi who was standing stone still. She could see his shoulders trembling slightly with his breath and she sympathized with him.

Her heart was still racing against her ribs.

"Is-Is he doing any better?"

Shun turned to her and pursed his lips. "Sadly, no. But, his fever has stabilized and his vitals seem the same."

Sakura nodded and curled the clipboard under her arm as she picked up the remaining dishes from the table. As she dumped them into the sink to be washed, she couldn't help wonder what would have happened had he not walked in. And what did Kakashi mean? He couldn't control himself around her?

"I'm off duty right now. Would you like to get some coffee?"

Sakura's cheeks reddened as she looked up at Shun. He was smiling nervously and though he was standing close to her, his eyes were focused on the ground. "Oh. Uhm, I'm sorry, Shun. How about tomorrow night? I've just got a killer headache from staring down a microscope all night."

He laughed nervously and scratched the back of his head. "Sure! That sounds good. H-have a good night." Shun flashed her another smile before leaving the two ninja alone once more. Sakura's attention immediately returned to Kakashi who was leaning against the wall, facing her with his arms crossed over his chest.

His eye was focused on the tile beneath him and the way he stood so tense made Sakura realize that they would not be picking up where they had left off. She sighed to herself and gathered the day's reports into her folder before clearing her throat. "I think I'm going to call it a night."

"I'll walk you to your room."

"You don't have to…"

Kakashi pushed off the wall and glanced at the kunoichi skeptically. Without a word he passed her into the hallway and waited patiently for her to shut off the lights and lock the door behind her. Sakura watched him walk in front of her, her mind reeling from the night. She squeezed her eyes shut, her fists balling at her sides.

This had to end tonight. She couldn't take another incident like the last one…All the teasing touches and heat burning inside her. It was too much and if it continued she wasn't sure that she'd be able to stop it next time. She wasn't sure she'd even want to stop it.

But she had to stop thinking about it. She was engaged and when they went back to Konoha, Kyo would be waiting for her and her life would pick up right where it had left off. She had to hold onto that thought…

Kakashi stopped at her door, his hands shoved into his pockets and his eyes focused on the hallway that stretched in front of them. He was purposefully not looking at her and Sakura knew that was for the best. She ducked her head and turned her key in the lock, hesitating just a second. She glanced back at him from over her shoulder and thought briefly about letting him in to finish what they had started.

No.

That would be a very bad idea.

Instead, she slipped inside and locked the door behind her. She leaned her forehead against the wood of the door and sighed heavily. This mission was turning out to be the death of her.

_AN- Whew! I liked writing this chapter! I hope you all like it as well! And I promise…the sexy times will return soon! ;)_


	7. Steam

_**Between Sheets**_

_**Disclaimer: I own nothing from the Naruto world.**_

_Chapter 7: Steam_

Sakura woke to a pounding on her door and when she sat upright in her bed, she could see it was still dark outside her window. Her heart pounded wildly against her chest and for a brief moment her foggy mind conjured up an image of Kakashi standing on the other side of her door.

She slipped out of bed quickly and pulled her warm, white robe around her shoulders before opening the door a crack. Shun stood, looking extremely disheveled. His clothes were wrinkled and his lab coat was buttoned up wrong as if he were in a hurry getting dressed. "Shun! What's wrong?"

"It's Elder Goro. It's not good. Hurry." He pushed his glasses further up his sweaty nose as Sakura nodded sharply and shut the door to dress. After pulling on the same clothes she had taken off before bed, she threw the door opened and hurried to Kakashi's apartment. "We don't have time!" Shun urged, already halfway down the hallway.

"I have to." Sakura pounded on the door and turned the knob in her palm. It opened easily and she poked her head into the shadows. "Kakashi! There's an emergency with Elder Goro. I'm leaving with Shun." She shut the door behind her and raced toward the hospital.

The room was already crowded when the two medics arrived and Sakura had to push her way to the bed in the center of the crowd. The old man was writhing in pain, his back arched completely off the sweat stained sheets. His forehead was slick and his eyes were screwed shut in immense pain. It took Sakura a second to overcome the shock before she was channeling chakra into her hands. She pressed her palms against his chest and gasped.

His heart was beating out of control and within seconds of her chakra entering him, Sakura was sweating profusely. She let it encircle his heart and slow its pounding but she could already tell that the damage was done. There was nothing left for her to do but ease his suffering and hope he can have a comfortable death.

She glanced nervously at the nurses who surrounded her and sighed. Just as she was withdrawing her chakra, a hand snatched her wrist. Gasping, Sakura looked down at the man, his face contorted with anguish and misery. He opened his mouth, gaping like a fish out of water before his grip slackened and he fell back against the sweat soaked sheets. The heart monitor beside the bed flat-lined and the shrill beep of it was almost deafening in the kunoichi's ears.

She laid the man's hand against his chest and pulled the sheet up over his face, unable to still her trembling fingers. "Call it." She muttered to Shun who glanced quickly at the clock above the bed before turning to the man's charts. "5:15 a.m."

The other nurses hurried around the room to pick up the pieces and though Sakura had seen her fair share of deaths at the hospital, she couldn't get the man's eyes out of her head. She wondered what he was trying to tell her before he died…The thought was haunting.

She stripped her gloves from her hands and tossed them in the trash behind the bed, signing and initialing the death papers that had to be submitted to the village leaders. Just as she clicked the pen to sign the last paper, the entire hospital building trembled. She looked up quickly as the nurses stopped what they were doing as well. "What was that?" One of them asked in a whisper seconds before another tremble rocked the building, this time much closer.

Sakura's heart leapt into her throat as she dropped the clipboard and rushed into the hallway. Nurses and patients were emerging from the rooms and she could already sense the panic thickening amongst them. A door at the end of the hall burst open and people ran in, screaming. "We're being attacked!"

Another blast rocked the hospital and Sakura felt the color drain from her face. The blasts didn't feel close enough to be in the hospital and as she realized that they were happening in the apartments, fear snaked its way into her frozen lungs. "Kakashi."

Despite the shouts behind her, Sakura ran through the hall, pushing against the people fleeing the fire and smoke. She coughed into her elbow and ignored the tears in her eyes as she fought through the crowds of crying and screaming citizens. The smoke was billowing out of the building and into the dawn sky and even through the haze Sakura could tell the apartments were nearly demolished.

She choked back a sob as she forced her feet to move. Why hadn't she made him come with her? Why hadn't she waited for him? Her heart pounded so hard beneath her chest that she was afraid she would pass out. Just as she got closer to the apartment building, a hand wound its way around her waist and pulled her back. "We can't let you go in there, miss. It's too dangerous."

Sakura whirled around and pushed her ash stained hair out of her face and stared at the man who pulled her back. He was barking orders at the men who were spraying enormous houses into the blaze, no longer paying any attention to him. Squaring her shoulders, Sakura turned back to the building and took a deep breath of clean air.

Just as she bent low to jump into the building, a hand grabbed her around the wrist and whirled her around. She gasped and stumbled back at the familiar sight of white hair and a masked face. Dust and ash covered Kakashi's hair and face but Sakura could feel her heart beating wildly in a whole new way. "Were you looking for someone?"

Breathless, Sakura pushed her dirty hair out of her face and took a deep shaking breath. Part of her wanted to throw her arms around his neck and press him against her. She resisted the urge and instead glanced back at the inferno at her back. The houses were destroyed, crumbling around the mountain side. People were screaming and crying, asking the gods 'why' and 'how' when deep down Sakura knew why.

It had meant to kill them.

She couldn't prove it, and she didn't know if it was even 100% true. But this wasn't the first attack on her and somehow she doubted it would be the last. Kakashi pulled her aside as a line of men carrying heavy hoses ran onto the scene, spraying the building with water.

"I think it's time to pay the Raikage a little visit." He muttered into her ear and despite the chaos surrounding them, Sakura couldn't help the little shiver that slid down her spine.

~!~

The Raikage's office was twice the size of Tsunade's. There was a large, black fur rug that looked as if it came from some enormous bear stretching from the middle of the room to under the mahogany desk at which the Raikage sat. He was a tall, darker skinned man with light brown hair that was pulled back at the nape of his neck.

From her position, Sakura couldn't tell how long his hair was, but it was hanging past his elbows that sat on the edge of the desk. His fingers were folded in front of him and he pressed his lips into his thumbs as he listened to Kakashi's details and suspicions.

"I believe we're dealing with something far greater than I previously suspected. I will have a full team of guards surrounding the hospital at all times." He shifted his gaze to Sakura and she could feel her skin heat under his scrutiny. It wasn't the way Kakashi made her feel, but it was the fact that she was being stared down by such a powerful man.

Holding her head up, she returned his gaze and pursed her lips. "How is everything going for you? Any progress on an antidote?"

Sakura shook her head disappointingly but reached into her hip pouch for four small vials. She laid them in the Raikage's palm and nodded to the glass. "No antidote, but I would advise you to give this to the remaining village elders and yourself. If you start feeling sick at all, drink it all. It won't stop the poison but it will slow it down and give us more time."

The Raikage clamped his hand over the vials and nodded quickly before slipping them into the pocket of his coat. He sighed and pressed the bridge of his nose tightly between his fingers. "I think you both know how important it is that this bastard is caught."

"Trust me, I do. I'm doing everything in my power to solve this as fast as I can." Sakura said, unable to risk glancing at her partner out of the corner of her eyes. He was still as stone, arms crossed over his chest as he stared at the wall over the Kage's desk.

The man before them nodded and gestured for them to leave. "I'll have my assistant show you to your new living quarters. I apologize for the lack of space for you. I did the best I could."

Sakura hadn't known what he meant at the time, but as she stood in front of the door to their new living quarters, her stomach was in knots. The Raikage's assistant had apologized more than enough and when she slid the door open to let them in, Sakura understood why.

Two twin beds were pushed on opposite sides of the wall with a desk at the back of the room facing the window. There was a narrow door to the back of the room that must have been to the bathroom, but Sakura could only stare at the two beds. "We tried to arrange for the two of you to room with others that lost their apartments, but no one would want to. They think you're targets of this maniac." She did look genuinely sorry and Sakura knew that blaming her for the problem would be wrong.

Instead, she sighed and stepped into the room. Her bag that she had abandoned at the hospital was sitting at the foot of the bed on the left and she sat on the screeching mattress. She closed her eyes against the sound and tried to push away the dull ache that started to form behind her eyes. Kakashi said a few quiet words to the assistant before the door shut.

If Kakashi was thinking the same thing as her, he didn't show it. Instead, he set his recovered belongings down beside his bed and unpacked the folders and information that Sakura and he had been working on. He left whatever else was in the bag and let it slip to the floor with a soft thud.

Sakura still hadn't managed to move from the bed, her hands gripping her knees a bit too tightly. She watched his movements, her heart beating wildly in her chest. They hadn't been alone in a room together since they shared that odd, unforgettable moment that was sadly ruined by Shun. And now that they would be spending their remaining time living and sleeping so close, Sakura wasn't sure how to react.

As Kakashi set up the desk with the papers and switched on the lamp, she could feel her head filling up with outrageous scenarios that did little to cool the heat that suddenly flared her skin. Blinking out of her daze, she stood and made her way to her own desk, checking the drawers. Someone had taken the liberty of filling them with clothes and underwear that were still in the packages.

Blushing, Sakura pulled a pair of white, cotton panties from the pack and some clothes she could designate as pajamas and slipped into the bathroom. The steam from the shower quickly filled up the tiny bathroom and she swiped a towel over the mirror to see her reflection.

The dark circles under her eyes made her grimace and she wondered if she would ever get a good night's sleep…especially now with the man that had haunted her much too sexual dreams was sleeping only a bed's length away. She sighed and slipped into the shower, sliding the glass door shut behind her.

Instead of thinking of the man that was only a closed door away from her, Sakura instead focused on the mission she was still incredibly lost on. Everything she thought could be a possible lead or way to a solution ended up failing or getting ruined by some asshole.

She was still incredibly angry about the man that had attacked her when she had been working so hard for a cure. The entire mission was just as frustrating as her love life. She wasn't sure if what she and Kakashi were doing would be considered cheating, and any time her subconscious brought it up, she would only feel anger. It was as if she were angry that she couldn't have him…As if her relationship and engagement were only a hindrance and in the way of her getting to her former sensei.

Sakura swallowed and shook her head, rinsing her body off quickly. As she stepped out onto the cold tile floor and wrapped a towel around her, she realized just how exhausted she really was. Her knees shook and she leaned against the sink as she yawned behind her hand.

The thought of falling asleep while Kakashi was still awake both made her very nervous and very aroused. Sakura bit her lip as she stared at the door, her imagination turning wildly in her head. She could feel her skin tingle as she tried very hard not to think about that man and the things she would let him do to her.

As the scratchy, cotton towel slipped from around her chest, Sakura gasped at the rush of air that hit her hot skin. She let the towel fall to the floor as she slid slowly up on the sink counter, letting her back rest against the mirror. Wet, pink strands of hair were plastered to her shoulders, dripping tiny drops of water down her breasts.

Sakura sighed softly as she let one palm spread across her chest, pressing into her taut nipples. She pinched and rolled it in her fingers as she raked her other hand up her inner thigh, stretching closer and closer to the pool of heat between her legs.

Her mind reeled with images of Kakashi holding her arms above her head as he lay naked above her, moving against her heated skin. She couldn't help the gasp that escaped her lips as her finger slipped between the folds of her sex and pressed against her clit.

Sakura's head fell back against the mirror with a light thud and she cursed herself for being too clumsy. After a moment of no sound on the opposite side of the door, she continued to slide her finger back and forth. Her shoulders tensed with each movement and she had to clamp her bottom lip tightly between her teeth to keep herself quiet.

In her mind, she imagined herself on top of Kakashi, rolling her hips against his, riding him. She let her head fall back, gentler this time, as her fingers slid faster over her sex. Her body was tensing and she could feel a familiar coil tighten in her stomach. Her orgasm ripped through her and despite her desperate attempts to keep quiet, no force in the world could stop the quick cry that forced its way from her throat. She slapped her hand over her mouth as her body continued to spasm and she stared at the door, praying to the gods above that he hadn't heard it.

The knock at the door killed that hope and she could feel her heart pounding violently as she slid off the counter and picked her towel back up. "Sakura? Are you alright?"

"Y-yes. I just…bumped my head." She rolled her eyes at herself and glanced quickly at her reflection. She was all pink cheeks and flushed from her orgasm and the realization of what she had done sent her blushing further.

Quickly, she wiped the dampness form between her legs and got dressed, her hand hovering hesitantly over the door knob. She didn't want to face Kakashi, even more so now that she had pleasured herself to the thought of him. She hadn't even done that to thoughts of Kyo! Guilt bubbled up inside her as she took a deep breath and slipped out into the room.

She avoided eye contact with the man and instead busied herself with tucking her dirty clothes in the small hamper under her desk. Straightening, Sakura pulled her damp hair back and twisted it unto a bun as she gestured to the desk. "Find anything useful yet?"

He shook his head and lifted his gaze to Sakura's, the intensity in his eyes catching her completely off guard. Everything melted away in her mind as she stared with wide eyes, her breath frozen in her throat.

Before Sakura could blink, he broke their gaze and studied her forehead. She narrowed her eyes and touched her head in confusion. "What is it?"

Kakashi shrugged and stood up straighter, the corner of his eye creasing in a smirk. "Oh, nothing…just wondering where you bumped your head." Caught completely off guard, Sakura's cheeks flared instantly as she averted her eyes, focusing on her bed rather than the ninja. He scoffed softly before turning on his heel and heading toward the bathroom. Before the door shut behind him, Sakura met his gaze and the heat she had seen earlier was blazing behind his smile.

And he left Sakura wondering just what he planned to do during his shower…

_AN- I know. It was a rather short chapter, but things will definitely get steamier in the next few chapters ;) Thank you so much for all your reviews!_


	8. Silver and Cold

_**Between Sheets**_

_**Disclaimer: I own nothing from the Naruto world.**_

_Chapter 8: Silver and Cold_

Sakura woke to the sound of muffled voices. She peeked out from behind her heavy eyelids and glanced at the window. Even though the curtain was closed, she could see the pale gray of the dawn. Groaning, she rolled over on her side to face the bed where Kakashi would have been lying, but he was nowhere to be seen.

"What are you her body-guard? It's very important that I speak with her." The voice on the other side of the door was familiar and as Sakura sat up and rubbed the sleep from her eye the conversation continued.

"That's of no concern to you. And anything you have to say to her you can tell me."

"It's _confidential. _I'm restricted by hospital policies."

"You're also restricted by your Raikage's policies. He has hired the both of us and so anything that is to be said to Sakura-"

She threw the door open with a frown, pulling the bathrobe around her waist and securing it tightly. It was still a bit damp from Kakashi's shower the night before and she used every ounce of willpower in her body to force her mind away from how delicious it smelled. "What is going on?"

Shun straightened his shoulders and pushed his wire framed glasses further up his nose, his face breaking out into a smile at the sight of Sakura. He stepped around Kakashi. "I was just trying to speak to you. Another patient was emitted to the hospital last night." He cleared his throat, glanced up at the taller man and pulled Sakura's elbow so they stepped a few spaces away and whispered. "It's not one of the elders, but the symptoms are all the same."

Blinking in surprise, Sakura glanced back at the Copy Ninja, who was surely listening to their every word as if they were standing right beside him. "Then who is it?"

Risking another glance back at Kakashi, Shun put himself between Sakura and his view and pursed his lips tight. "The Raikage's niece."

Oh no.

Before another word could be said, the doors at the end of the hallway opened wide, nearly coming off their hinges as a group of three men stormed in. Kakashi was beside Sakura in a blink of an eye, and though she had faced down more threatening men than this, she still felt a bit out of place in her robe and house shoes.

The first man was a brute, his shoulders as wide as Sakura could outstretch her arms. He stared down the three of them before his eyes rested on Sakura, glaring hard as if he could bore holes in her skull. She swallowed but lifted her head, crossing her fuzzy blue arms over her chest. "You've been summoned to the Raikage's office."

The sense of dread was almost as excruciating as the walk to his office. The night had brought frost and light ice covered nearly every inch of the walkways. The men who escorted Sakura to the Kage's office walked as if they had been born with ice on their feet. Whereas Sakura had to grip the railing as her feet slipped back and forth beneath her.

She had been instructed to come alone, much to Kakashi's chagrin. But, as she followed the three men, she knew the ninja was close. There would be no way he would sit in their room like a good dog. Occasionally, she would glance upward to the roof of a building when a flash of black caught her eye.

Eventually, after nearly half an hour of climbing upwards to the massive building on the mountain side, the men stopped outside a door and gestured her in. It was no the office she had been to the day before last and she briefly wondered if she was in the Raikage's personal home.

After the door shut behind her, Sakura turned to stare at the massive room she had been lead to. It was floor to ceiling white with black leather couches and an enormous wing backed chair near the hearth. A fire was crackling inside it and she was thankful for the warmth that spread over her.

A woman stepped into the doorway and at the sight of Sakura, she gasped and fled back the way she had come. "Oh…kay." She didn't know whether or not she should step further inside or try her luck back with the three brutes behind the door. Just as she was seriously considering the latter, the Raikage cleared his throat and flipped the light switch on beside him.

Gasping, Sakura whirled around and blinked at the sudden flare of lights. "I apologize for asking you here so early. My niece has fallen ill. She was brought in to the hospital early this morning."

Sakura nodded and followed him to the hearth, taking a seat on the plush, black couch. She sank into the cushions and could tell she was going to have to peel herself out of them when she stood back up. "What are her symptoms?"

"The same as the others. The doctors tell me they're almost identical. I don't know who is behind this, but I want this stopped. She's only fourteen for god's sake."

From his tone, she could tell he was attached to his niece and that he sincerely cared about her. Sakura bit her lip and turned her gaze toward the fire. "I want this bastard caught, alive, and I want him brought to me. I've upped the surveillance around the hospital and you and your partner. Anyone seen trailing you is immediately brought to me." He turned toward her, giving her a glimpse at the dark circles under his eyes.

He looked as if he hadn't slept at all.

"Does your niece live here?"

"She does."

"Do you mind if I look at her room? Maybe for some clues?"

He nodded and stood, leading her out into a small hallway with a staircase at the end. On the landing, there were four closed doors and an open one near Sakura that lead to a bathroom. Everything was neat and tidy. "Her room is right next to mine. She's lived with us since she was four. She's like a daughter to me."

He opened the door and Sakura was met with a close replica of what her bedroom looked like when she was fourteen. Posters of boys hung on the wall with a closet packed full of clothes. The bed was messed up and she could smell the faint trace of vomit. "She woke up around two last night in pain, throwing up. Horrible fever."

Sakura nodded and looked to the window that was across the room from the door, right above the bed. It was closed, but the blinds were open, letting in the morning light. Frowning, Sakura noticed there was a small rip in the edge of the blinds and pulled the string to let them down.

The side of the fabric were cut. She frowned and opened the window, looking to the left where he had said his room was. The windows were only a few yards apart. "Do you think it's possible she was attacked mistakenly?"

"They were after me?"

Sakura felt all around the pink, fluffy pillows of the girls bed, throwing them to the floor. She pulled back the covers and inspected the sheets closely. They smelled sweaty, but she ignored it and studied the fabric. A little lower than the pillows, exactly where her arms would be, a small spot of blood had stained the sheets.

She was injected.

"I have to go back to the hospital. Don't worry. I'll work as fast as I can, I promise." Sakura rushed back down the stairs and out the door, ignoring the shouts from the men.

She didn't waste time slipping on the ice. She leapt from the buildings, her heart racing as she rushed along. For the first time in her mission, she felt as if she were actually on to something. Just as she landed on the rooftop of a grocery store, a dark figure leapt beside her. Caught off guard, Sakura shrieked and stumbled back, clutching her pounding chest.

Kakashi put a hand on her shoulder to steady herself and ducked his head a bit. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you."

She waved him off and took a deep breath. "It's fine. I needed to talk to you anyway." She launched into telling him about her visit with the Raikage and how she found blood on the girl's sheets. Kakashi nodded and tapped his masked chin with his finger. "So you think whoever this was is going straight for the Raikage? But why?"

"That, we'll have to wait to answer later. I'm not letting this little girl die. I need you in there with me today, while I examine her."

~!~

Four hours later, Sakura collapsed into one of the lab chairs and peeled the latex gloves off her fingers. The Raikage's niece, Aiko, was stable and resting. She had been given a dose of the concoction Sakura had developed to slow the effects of the poison, and though a large sample was extracted, they still had a long way to go.

Exhausted, Sakura pushed her fingers through her hair and glanced at the clock on the wall. It was already dusk and she hadn't eaten a thing. Kakashi had spent most of the day questioning the shinobis of the village on any little thing that could give them a lead. He hadn't been back to check in with Sakura if a few hours and though she wanted to worry, she swallowed the dread and tried to focus on the bland cafeteria meal that was placed in front of her.

She looked up at the bright, smiling face of Shun. He pushed his glasses up his nose and sat across from her on the table as he gestured to the food before her. "Don't worry. It's on me."

Smiling softly, Sakura picked up the plastic fork and spun it around the noodles and veggies. Even though she hadn't eaten for hours, her stomach wasn't up to it. Not when every other minute she was glancing nervously at the door, waiting for her partner to come back. "Thank you, Shun. You shouldn't have though. I don't know if I can eat much."

He smiled and shrugged his shoulders before digging into his own food. "S'ok." He said after swallowing a bite. "I know how it gets sometimes, working so hard in the medic field. Can't eat, can't sleep…All you can really do is worry."

Sakura scoffed and scooped up a forkful of beans and carrots, attempting to eat for his sake. She felt bad for not eating the meal that was bought for her. "True. Have you worked as a medic for long?"

Shun nodded and wiped his mouth with a napkin. "Yeah, just after my mother died, actually. That was about seven years ago."

"I'm sorry."

"It's fine. I loved her, but she was very sick. I like to think she's in a better place now."

Sakura nodded and thought briefly to her own mother who was no doubt on the phone, bragging about the man her daughter had managed to snag. She had nearly fainted when Sakura and Kyo told her the news and though at the time it had been annoying, Sakura couldn't help missing the woman. It felt like ages ago that they spoke.

"It was the reason I decided to be a medic, really. Seeing her suffer was painful, but it was motivating. We moved around so much, it was hard for us to find proper treatments."

Sakura nodded, knowing only half of her attention was on Shun. She still had no idea where Kakashi was, and her mind was yet again toiling angrily over her situation. "When did you move here?"

"Hmm? Oh. Right after my mother died. She's buried in Sunagakura…but there were no jobs for medics so I came here instead." He smiled sweetly and Sakura fought to return it. "What about you?"

"Me? Oh…I lived in Konoha my entire life. Became a ninja, and then a medic-nin…I've had a pretty boring life." She raised the fork to her lips again, not entirely wanting to eat, when a flash of white caught the corner of her eye. Sakura nearly leapt out of her seat at the sight of the Copy Ninja as he took a seat next to her, one elbow resting on the back of the chair.

"How is she?" He asked, not even acknowledging Shun's existence. Sakura could have sworn the other medic mumbled something under his breath but she chose to ignore it.

She was much too relieved that he was alright to really care about the man's jealousies. "Fine. Better, actually. She's stable and resting. Her body has responded to the medicine so I think she'll be alright."

Kakashi nodded and pushed a hand through his hair. The simply act played out in slow motion in Sakura's mind as she stared at the way his fingers wove their way through white hair, wishing she could catch those hands in her own and press them in various places on her body. "She'll be heavily guarded 24/7." His words snapped her out of her reverie and Sakura suddenly noticed that she had leaned forward in her seat, her elbows resting on the table and the back of her chair.

Shun, realizing he was officially out of the conversation, stood up and nodded to Sakura. "It was nice talking to you. Try to eat, it'll make tomorrow go much better." He smiled sweetly and walked out of the room without a backwards glance.

Sakura stared at the empty doorway, her entire body aware that she and Kakashi was alone now. Clamping her bottom lip between her teeth, she stared down at the pile of food in front of her and knew there would be no way she could eat now. Her stomach was a tangle of knots that only increased in size with every fantasy that wove its way through her head.

She tried not to think too hard about them, knowing they would only make her weak, make her unable to resist when - _if _- anything were to happen. "You look exhausted."

"I am."

He slid across the seat toward her, his knees in between hers, pressing firmly against her thigh. The breath froze in her lungs and she couldn't help it as her eyes fluttered closed. She could feel his hair tickling her forehead as he leaned closer. There would be no way he couldn't hear how hard her heart was pounding. "Do you want to go to bed?"

Sakura melted. His words were barely a whisper, but she had heard them loud in her head. She couldn't keep her knees from shaking as he guided her out of her seat, a hand pressing firmly against the small of her back. She managed to open her eyes as they stood in the empty lab room, surrounded by medical equipment. She noticed none of it. The entire room was a blur and the only thing she could see, or even think about was the man in front of her. She wanted him.

It was the first time she was completely honest with herself.

There was no way around it now. Her engagement be damned. She needed this. The corner of her lips lifted slightly as Sakura tilted her head upward. "Yes."

_An- Uh oh…Things are about to heat up, and I promise that the next chapter will be pretty…hot. ^_^ Thanks again for all the reviews. I can't believe I have over 100! You guys seriously rock._


	9. Selfish

_**Between Sheets**_

_**Disclaimer: I own nothing from the Naruto world.**_

_**Chapter 9: **__Selfish_

The trip back to their shared bedroom was painstakingly slow. It was agonizing to walk through the hospital hallway and out in the bitter cold night, knowing full and well she was on her way to commit a sin against marriage, adultery even!

_But you're not married…_

The annoying harlot in her head whispered in her ear and spun webs of sexual fantasies in her head, all involving Kakashi and the sex he promised she couldn't handle. More than once her knees buckled in her stride and he had to reach out to steady her. She blushed and tucked her hair behind her ear as he stared down at her with slender eyebrows raised.

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah…it's just…uhm, slippery."

He 'hmmed' in response and continued to lead them to their new apartment. It was on the second floor of a two story complex and the apartments on either side were housing the other victims of the explosions.

Before Sakura had time to even come to the decision of whether or not she was actually going to go through with…whatever she had thought of back in the lab room, the door to their apartment was in front of them. Kakashi turned the key in the lock and swung the door open for her to step in.

It was warm inside and her skin was thankful. She peeled her heavy coat from her shoulders and hung it on the hook behind to door as Kakashi stepped around her and set a heavy folder down on their cluttered desk. He busied himself with the reports for a moment and Sakura felt her hopes deflate. She didn't exactly know what she expected, but this wasn't it.

She wanted Kakashi to press her against the door and rip her clothes off, covering every inch of her body with hot kisses. As if sensing her disappointment, Kakashi turned to glance at her over his shoulder. "I just have to put a few of these reports in the right files. Why don't you take a bath? It'll help you warm up."

_Why don't you join me?_

Sakura mentally kicked herself and nodded. A bath sounded incredible and she quickly grabbed some panties and dashed into the bathroom. The water was steaming seconds after she turned it on. She stripped down quickly, still disappointed it wasn't being done by a certain Copy Ninja, but maybe it was for the best this way.

She shouldn't be thinking these things at all. Especially about someone fourteen years her senior who happens to be her former sensei! It was ludicrous! Even though she knew what she was wanting was wrong, she still tried and tried to convince herself to do it. She felt as if she had lived her entire life without taking risks for herself, and thought it may not be right, she was feeling selfish.

Sakura eased herself down into the steaming water and nearly moaned as her muscles tensed at the heat. She let her head fall back against the tile wall and pushed her hair away from her face. As she lay back, eyes closed, with the water still running hotly down her feet, Sakura couldn't help the turn her mind took. It seemed like showers and baths brought out her inner desires faster than anything else.

Why shouldn't she get what she wants? She only had a few more months before she would no longer be Haruno Sakura ever again. She would be nothing more than Sakura, the wife of the handsome, insanely rich Masashi Kyo. Sakura knew after her vows were said and done she would work full time in the hospital and maybe even become a director of medical affairs such as Kyo…her ninja days were numbered.

Her days of being so close to Kakashi were numbered as well. She grabbed a sponge off the cabinet and angrily dipped it into the steaming, Lavender scented water before scrubbing her thighs and knees. The thought of having this opportunity to experience something rare with Kakashi and letting it pass by pained Sakura more than the thought of actually doing it. She would much rather live her life knowing what it felt like, than live with regret.

But, could she live with herself? Could she sleep with her sensei and then go back to Konoha as if nothing ever happened? Could she marry Kyo after something like that?

Sakura bit her lip and looked at the door, wishing she had already went through with it.

It wasn't long before her mind turned back to Kakashi, imagining him holding her up against the shower wall as he gripped her ass with one hand and held her still with the other. Sakura couldn't help her fingers as they danced down her stomach and over her hips until they dipped between her thighs. She wished it was someone else, or rather, something else.

No. She was tired of wondering. She wanted it all…wanted it now, wanted _him_ now.

Sakura's eyes snapped open, unable to focus clearly through the steam in the tiny bathroom. She turned the water off with a flick of her foot and stepped out of the bath. She moved quickly, as if someone else were controlling her actions. Her fluffy, white robe was barely around her shoulders and tied before she threw open the door and stepped out.

Kakashi was still standing beside the desk but his coat was shed. The shirt he usually wore under his flac jacket was tight across his shoulders and Sakura's mouth watered at the sight. "That was fast. I've managed to find something pretty interesting, though."

"Oh?" She couldn't believe how sultry her voice sounded, as if it wasn't even hers. Maybe it wasn't. Maybe the inner harlot had finally taken over. Sakura decided to let her have control just this once.

She stepped slowly up to the man as he pointed down at a folder Sakura recognized as her lab notes, but she could care less about the mission. All she wanted was Kakashi.

"It seems that your mushroom theory was actually the antidote but there's a component in the poison that attacks them. The component comes from a particular flower that only grows in very hot, dry regions. Sunagakura, actually." He turned with the folder in his hands as Sakura let the robe drop from her shoulders, falling to the floor with a soft flop just as the folder fell from his hands. Kakashi's eyes very briefly swept over her before focusing on her face.

She was flushed, both from the bath and the heat of his stare.

Something dark flashed over his eyes and it only managed to drive her crazier. Taking a small step, Sakura closed the distance between them and let her head fall back as she stared up at one of the most dangerous ninjas she had ever known. He had the power to kill her with one finger, he could do things to her that she could never possibly imagine. The thought of it made her wetter than she had ever been before.

Before she could even blink, Kakashi's lips were on hers as his hands grabbed her hips and pressed her against him. She gasped at the slight pain, surprised that it didn't necessarily hurt as much as it turned her on.

His fingers moved, circling around her hips to her back side and he gripped her ass hard. She gasped against his mask and barely managed to wrap her arms around his neck as he pulled her legs around his waist. Her naked sex was pressed hard against his hips and she wished he had just a bit less clothing on.

She curled the hair at the nape of his neck around her fingers as he moved them over to one of the beds. Her mind registered briefly that it was his side of the room before she was lying on the mattress. Kakashi raised up on his knees, her legs still wrapped around his waist. He stared down at her, his eyes hungry and filled with dark lust. Sakura could feel her entire body turn pink under his scrutiny.

Instinctively, she covered her chest with her arms and turned her head to the side, biting her lip rather hard between her teeth. She blinked in surprise as Kakashi pulled her arms away and put them above her head. "Don't cover yourself. I want to see all of you."

She wanted to protest, but something in his tone made her decide against it. He sat back up and pulled his shirt out from beneath the waist band of his pants, slipping it up his torso. Sakura felt her mouth go dry as she watched him pull his shirt off agonizingly slow. She couldn't help sitting up on her elbows as he slipped the garment over his head and tossed it to the floor.

Her entire body quivered at the sight of his face, from his pale lips to the faint scar that ran from his bottom lip to the underside of his jaw. She wanted to say something, wanted to thank him, but all of her words were stuck inside her throat like glue. Kakashi lowered himself back down and scowled at her response. "Shh." He whispered, though the corner of his mouth was turned up slightly.

Sakura let her head fall back against the pillow as Kakashi's hand found her breast and cupped it gently, rolling her nipple between his fingertips. He pinched it, making her gasp and open her eyes just in time to see him lower his head. He took the nipple he had pinched between his lips and let his tongue swirl slowly around it. Sakura couldn't help the groan that escaped her mouth as she pressed harder into the pillow behind her.

She could feel the wetness and heat growing between her legs. She pressed her thighs together and gasped as his teeth caught her incredibly sensitive nub. "Oh, god."

She was so focused on the pleasure he was creating on her breast that she hadn't noticed his head slipping further down her stomach, pressing naked kisses to her tummy. Sakura sat up on her elbows suddenly and stared at the top of his head. Kakashi responded only by pressing a hand to her shoulder and guiding her back to the bed.

He pressed a series of kisses down her hip to her thigh before parting her legs. He hesitated and sat back, making her immediately nervous. She sat up again and bit her lip. Kakashi glanced at her through his lashes and curled his lips. She would never get used to seeing that face.

His thumb was against her clit in an instant and Sakura couldn't help the small moan that escaped her throat and fell back against the bed for the third time. Kakashi moved his finger in slow circles over her clit and Sakura was in sweet, ecstatic agony. She gripped the sheets beside her and couldn't help it as her hips moved against his finger.

It was bizarre how a tiny movement of his thumb was making the entire room spin around her. She squeezed her eyes shut and pressed her palms to her forehead, unable to even think clearly. And when his thumb was replaced by the press of his tongue, Sakura cried out much louder than she would ever thought possible.

No one had ever done this to her and she was both upset that she had been denied the pleasure for so long, and thrilled that Kakashi was the first to do it. She cried out again as he flicked his tongue slowly, rolling it over her sex. "Oh my…_fuck_." She tried to look down at him, but the wave and ripples of pleasure blurred her vision and soon, all she could do was fall back against the sheets.

As he continued the slow, excruciatingly wonderful movements, Sakura could feel her muscles tensing in the familiar spiral. Her legs stiffened around him and he pulled them apart, gripping her thighs tightly between his hands. She gasped as the pain swirled with the ecstasy and she knew she wouldn't last much longer.

Her back arched and she could feel her legs shaking against his grip as her orgasm ripped through her. Black clouded her vision as her entire body shook from it, her cries subsiding into whimpers as he raised up on his knees once more. Trembling, Sakura managed to pull her legs together, her thighs tightening in time with her orgasm. She had never felt something so powerful and her muscles continued to contract long after he was finished.

Sakura finally let her eyes open, falling on the robe and folder that had long been forgotten on the floor. Through the haze of what had just happened Kakashi's words from earlier finally registered in her cloudy mind.

"_..The component comes from a particular flower that only grows in very hot, dry regions. Sunagakura, actually."_

Sunagakura….

Sakura's eyes widened suddenly and she rolled over to face her partner. "Shun!"

"Excuse me?" The confusion and a small flash of anger that swept over Kakashi's face made Sakura shake her head and sit up, wrapping the sweat covered sheet around her chest. "You said the flower came from Sunagakura! Shun told me tonight that before coming here, he lived in the Suna…"

Kakashi pursed his lips, and Sakura couldn't help but marvel at the sight of his face now that she wasn't completely turned on. The mask had made a small tan line across the bridge of his nose, but he was handsome. Oh god, was he handsome. The word didn't even begin to describe him. Sakura could feel herself getting lost in staring at him, and looked away quickly.

"He would definitely have the knowledge to make a poison…but what about motive and would he have had access to the elders and the Raikage's niece?"

Sakura shrugged as she bent to pick up the files and notes, careful not to let the sheets drop. "I don't know…But, whoever is behind it has been able to be one step ahead of us the entire time. It has to be someone close to us." She glanced back at Kakashi, her stomach flipping nervously as he slipped his shirt and mask back on. "We have to at least check in to it."

He nodded and slipped his coat back on, zipping it up to his chest. "I'll go talk to the guards, see if I can get the Raikage to see us tonight."

"Ok. I'll…uhm, get dressed, I guess." Sakura flushed crimson as she stood in the middle of the room, the realization of what she had just done hitting her like a brick in the face. As if he sensed her guilt, Kakashi stepped closer and hooked a finger under her chin, tilting her head back. She closed her eyes and sighed softly, the tightening in her stomach increasing tenfold as his thumb caressed her jaw. Just being so close to him made her feel dizzy, even after she had satisfied a bit of her Kakashi craving.

Her reaction to his nearness was beginning to worry her.

The door shut with a soft click and Sakura opened her eyes to an empty room. Standing alone, with the sheets that she had cheated on her fiancé with wrapped around her, Sakura knew that going back to Konoha wasn't going to solve her problems anymore and she had a horrible, sinking feeling that her problems were only just beginning.

_An- I almost nixed this chapter but, I decided against it at the last minute. Although I love writing this story, I am going on a brief hiatus…Only a week or two from writing because I'm just not going to have the time to dedicate myself to it. I'm going on vacation next week and though vacations are supposed to be relaxing, they rarely are. So, I'm only taking a teensy break just so I can pop out a chapter that you'll enjoy, instead of a crappy one! Thanks for reading and I hope you like this chapter!_


	10. Finished

_**Between Sheets**_

_**Disclaimer: I own nothing from the Naruto world.**_

_**Chapter 10: Finished**_

* * *

It had been ten whole minutes since Kakashi had walked out the door and Sakura was still standing in the middle of the room, wrapped in the sheets she had cheated on her fiancé on. Her fingers were wrapped in the fabric tightly in a white knuckled grip to keep them from trembling. She knew she should get dressed and do something-_anything- _but all she could do was stare at the door as tears stung her eyes.

How could she have been such an idiot, such a stupid girl?

She felt disgusted with herself, felt like a whore.

The harlot in her head was suspiciously silent now, hiding beneath other repressed feelings and memories inside Sakura's subconscious.

Her stomach clenched as she swiped a hand over her face and threw the sheet back on the bed. It landed on the floor, along with the files and robe she had shed earlier. Angrily, Sakura kicked the lump of damp fabric before slipping a pair of panties on. Just as she snatched up the gray sweats she had been wearing to bed, there was a knock at the door.

"Kakashi?"

No one answered and the hairs on the back of Sakura's neck prickled. It was late, well past midnight. Who could possibly want her right now? Quickly, she dressed in the sweat pants and black sweat shirt and let her hand hover hesitantly over the doorknob. She opened it a crack and peered out into an empty hallway.

A cold draft slithered around her ankles from the hallway, making her shiver as she stepped out a bit more. The hall was empty and dark, save for the single light bulb a few meters down to the right. The feeling of unease grew as Sakura looked back and forth before slowly backing into the room.

With the door shut and locked, she sighed and turned back to the room. She raked a hand through her hair and sighed heavily before looking over the mess of the room. Instead of the pile of clothes and papers on the floor, Sakura's eyes fell on the darkened feet of a stranger standing between the beds. Dressed in nothing but black from head to toe, he stood nearly a head taller than Sakura. His face was hidden behind a sheer, black cloth.

Sakura gasped in shock, barely managing to stumble back to the door before the figure struck. He was lightning fast and she barely had time to grab his wrist as he swung at her. A needle, sharp and glittering in the fluorescent light was barely an inch from Sakura's face. His fingers swung the syringe around deftly in his fingers before rearing his arm back to swing again.

"Shun!" Sakura dropped in a low crouch and swept her leg across the floor, connecting with his ankles to send him spiraling against the bathroom door. It shattered against his wait as he stumbled across the splintered tile floor. Wasting no time, Sakura spun to the door and flung it open. She had to get out of the closed space, had to lead him away from an apartment full of people.

She ran hard, her bare feet pounding against the floor. Behind her, the apartment door exploded as Shun burst through to chase her. She risked a glance back and gasped. He was barely a yard behind her. How was he so fast?

She swung to the left down an unfamiliar hall and skidded to a stop. It was a dead end. "Shit." She muttered as she spun around to face her pursuer. He walked to her slowly, spinning the syringe around his fingers, narrowly missing puncturing his own skin. "So, you've figured me out." He said as he reached up and slowly pulled his mask down.

No longer wearing his glasses, Shun looked far more sinister and intimidating. How could she have never noticed how tall and how fit he was? Under his lab coat he looked more like Choji's size. "It wasn't difficult. You basically told me yourself."

"Oh, I believe I miscalculated how intelligent you were. Upon first impression I figured you were no smarter than the stupid kunoichi's that run around here, flirting and playing silly games."

Sakura's fists clenched in front of her as she glared, her muscles tense and ready to strike when he attacked. "Why are you doing this?"

Shun clucked his tongue and slipped his mask back over his head. "No, no, Sakura. I'm not going to give all my secrets away just yet." He was lightning fast with his kick but Sakura blocked it and brought her own foot up to strike his shoulder. Grunting, Shun rolled along the ground and lashed out, the needle glaring in the light. Sakura spun, her leg flying through the air.

A fist caught her around the ankle and held her still as she stared, green eyes wide in fear. Shun snickered beneath his mask before sinking the needle deep into her thigh, releasing whatever poison was inside it.

He shoved her away and Sakura stumbled back, her legs turning to jelly. She gasped for breath as she slowly slid down the wall to the floor. Her hands felt heavy, as if a hundred pounds had been tied onto them. She stared at her useless body as Shun stood and made his way to her limp form. "One down." He muttered as Sakura's visions started blurring. "One to go."

~!~

The room was cold. Sakura could feel her legs and arms trembling as they hung, tied but limp. They were still heavy but she could at least move now. Her entire body felt as if it had been dropped from a cliff and hit every rock on the way down. Groaning, she rolled her head to the side and opened an eye to a blurry, dimly lit room.

There were no windows from what she could see. Shaking the blurriness from her head, she blinked and tried to refocus her eyes. She was tied to a wooden chair in the middle of a completely empty room. There weren't even any vents for an air system.

The ropes around her wrists were tight and her skin stung when she tried to pull at them. She could tell she was already bleeding from them. Two thicker ropes were stretched tightly across her chest and wound around the lower part of her legs, tied tightly around her crisscrossed ankles. Shun definitely knew how to incapacitate someone. "Shit." Sakura mumbled before slowly shifting the chair around. A door was behind her with no window or even a lock. Just a doorknob in the middle of the wall. If she hadn't been looking for a way out she would have completely missed it.

How long had she been there?

Had he gotten to Kakashi yet?

There would be no way Kakashi would succumb as quickly as she had. Suddenly angry at herself for letting a medic nin get the best of her. He hadn't even used jutsu and she had fallen right into his trap.

Growling, Sakura slid the chair over the nearest wall and sighed. Not even a snag in the wood of the wall for her to try to saw through the ropes with. She could feel fury boiling inside herself and she channeled it into her chakra channels. Whatever serum Shun had injected her with made it hard for her Chakra to gather inside her.

He had mixed up her Chakra points, scrambled them to confuse her.

Too bad for him, Sakura had been trained by one of the best medical ninja in the world. Tsunade had trained Sakura in grueling conditions until she got it right. This was no worse. Sakura sat still, feeling inside her body, weaving her Chakra through to the right points. After a long while of pulling and pushing the flow of energy through her body, she pushed it all to the points in her hands.

Her fingers curled into fists as she poured her energy into them, her fingers trembling from the force of it. Clenching her teeth, Sakura flexed and ripped the rope apart. The muscles in her shoulders and back rejoiced as they were moved from the stiff position.

Her wrists were badly chaffed and the skin peeled from the rope. Wasting no time to heal her wounds, she worked at the knot around her ankles and tried to form a plan on how to get out of here…wherever here was.

Once free, Sakura stood and immediately regretted it. Her head swam with dizziness and she plunked back down into the chair. Her legs trembled as she tried to shake the jelly feeling out of them. "C'mon, Sakura….focus."

As she sat, rubbing her sore thighs, she let her mind relax just a bit. She didn't want to think about her situation, or how she was terrified for Kakashi's sake. She knew he was more than capable of handling himself. Hell, he hardly ever needed help taking down an enemy. Shun was nothing but an annoyance to a ninja like Kakashi.

But, she still couldn't fight the feeling of terror as she thought about him being overtaken somehow, like she had been.

No. He would be alright.

He was strong. Insanely so.

Taking a deep breath, Sakura slowly raised to her feet and took small steps toward the single door knob on the wall in front of her. The shakiness and trembling was fading, much to her delight. She didn't need to fight Shun again like this.

However, she would be ready this time.

She reached the knob and held it still in her hand as she pressed an ear to the door. Silence met her and she twisted her hand gently. It was locked. Damn. So much for trying to stay quiet.

Taking a step back, Sakura gathered her strength and kicked her foot into the door, sending the wood splintering across a small hallway. The brass knob clanked across the floor and she plucked it up, needing any weapon she could find.

To her left, the hallway stretched into darkness until a turn to the right. Behind her was a dead end. Sighing, she made her way cautiously, ready for anyone to come her way. She turned the corner and frowned. Only more hallway that branched off in opposite direction several meters down. There were no doors and no windows. Where the hell was she?

Hurrying her speed, Sakura came to the fork and found another dead end and a stairwell leading up. There was light at the top of the landing and what looked like a door. She took the steps two at a time and sighed as she tried the door handle to find it locked.

Holding the walls for support, Sakura lashed out with another kick and knocked the door off its hinges. She was outside, on a very steep cliff. Wind ripped past her, swirling her hair around her face in a pink curtain. "What?" She asked herself as she leaned out a bit and stared at the cliff edge.

It was a straight fall down into the fog and she wasn't about to risk jumping. "Where the hell am I?" Sakura held onto the wall to keep from falling as she leaned out and looked to the left. A small staircase was built into the cliff side with a chain nailed into the rock for a rail. "Great." She mumbled as she took hold of the freezing chain and pulled herself up the narrow stairs.

The wind pressed her against the cliff side and she was suddenly aware of how bare her feet were. She could see the edges of her toes turning blue. She was halfway up the rock steps when something whizzed past her head and crashed into the cliff behind her. Whirling around, Sakura searched the fog for any signs of Shun or another rock.

He was trying to make her fall.

Growling to herself, Sakura stayed low and hurried up the stairs. They curved upwards and turned steep before finally leveling out onto the top of the mountain. The wind was stronger on top and Sakura had to brace herself to keep from stumbling. "Where are you, you sick bastard?" She growled, focusing on the land around her.

There was no sound but the wind whipping around her and no sight of movement at all. Suddenly, a flash of brown caught her attention and she ducked back to miss an enormous boulder from hitting her square in the face. She stumbled back and caught herself before tumbling over the edge. "Shun! Show yourself, you coward!"

"I've seen you hit. I think I'll take my chances in hiding."

His voice echoed through the fog, making Sakura clench her teeth together. No matter. He could play his little hiding game. She would find him and when she did, she was going to rip his head off. Moving quick, Sakura leapt up onto another cliff face and pressed herself flat against the rocks behind her.

Another rock shot out of the fog from directly to her left and she blocked it with a fist, sending a spray of pebbles around her. One after another, rocks came crashing toward her and Sakura deflected them all. "Gotcha." She muttered before springing off her perch and rushing through the fog.

Leaping off the edge, Sakura held her breath. From where the rocks were shooting from, Shun should be on another ledge. As she soared through the fog, she hoped she was right. When her legs contacted with solid ground, she let out her breath. She rolled and came up right in front of Shun who stumbled back with wide eyes.

He was quick to recover. His fists came out of nowhere and contacted with Sakura's jaw. She flew back and grabbed her already swollen face. Damn.

She hadn't been hit like that in a while.

Pulled her fist back, Sakura rushed forward and swung. She was blocked by Shun's elbow, leaving his chin exposed. She pulled her left fist upwards and hit him right in the chin. She could hear his teeth crack as his head flew back. Before he could spin away from her, she grabbed the arm he blocked her first punch with, rolled and flung him over her shoulder so he landed with a grunt on the ground. His breath was knocked from his lungs and he coughed up a tooth that had broken.

Sakura brought her leg up high and dropped it fast, hoping to crush his sternum. He caught her ankle in time and twisted sharply, sending her spiraling to the ground. "You bitch. You fucking bitch. I should have killed you."

"Yeah," Sakura gasped as she rolled onto her side. He was still coughing up shards of his teeth and blood as he stood to his feet. "You really should have." As fast as she could, Sakura charged, keeping her body low. Her shoulder slammed into his chest, sending him flying back through the rocks and dirt. He kicked himself up to his feet quickly and was lightning fast as he ran back.

He moved in a flurry of hits and kicks, all which Sakura blocked and deflected as best as she could. His foot struck out and broke a rib that sent her sprawling to the ground, breathless. As she lay in the dirt, trying hard to breathe and focus through the pain, she could hear Shun slowly making his way back to her. "You're just like all the other girls. You're useless. All you think about his parties and money and hot guys. Kunoichi are useless as ninja. You're weak."

Sakura glared up at him through her hair as she gasped in ragged breaths. "You should have stayed in Konoha, planning your fucking wedding."

Red flashed over her vision and Sakura wasted no time in thinking through a plan. Anger and fury fueled her now. Her fist flew up from the dirt and slammed right between Shun's legs. His breath leaving his lungs was a beautiful sound in Sakura's ears and he doubled over, grabbing his crotch.

With a grunt, Sakura mustered all of her energy and sent another punch up into his face. His nose shattered beneath her the force of her fist and she knew he was done for. But she was far from done. She kicked out, rather clumsily as pain erupted from her ribs. Her foot slammed into his chest and sent him stumbling back. His footsteps faltered and slipped on the cliff edge.

Sakura blinked and he was gone over the ledge. The wind howled around her, drowning out the sound of her own ragged breath. The adrenaline subsided and pain washed white hot over her. She fell to her knees, gripping her side where her rib had fractured. Her head was swimming and she was desperately trying to keep from passing out.

Sakura.

What? She shook her head and looked up to where Shun had fallen. Had someone said her name? Was he not dead?

"Sakura!" It was louder now, cutting through the howl of the wind and her own heart pounding in her ears. "Shun?"

"Sakura!" She turned to glance over her shoulder and managed to keep from passing out long enough to see a dark figure rushing through the fog. Kakashi slid to his knees beside her and took her face in his hands. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry for leaving you. I should have known."

Sakura shook her head and leaned into his touch, wishing that she could just curl into his arms and lay for a few hours. "It's not your fault. I was worried about you."

He scoffed and brought her closer to him, laying her head against his chest. "I was worried about you, as well." Sakura wove her fingers around his thick coat and pulled him close, raising her head. She pressed her lips against his mask and winced as he wound an arm around her waist. Despite the pain, the familiar, almost over-whelming desire she had been feeling toward Kakashi for the past few weeks flared inside her, still dominating over her other senses.

Before she could move, however, Kakashi gripped her arms and pulled her away. "Sakura…" Something in the way he said her name made her realize exactly what he meant without him saying anything else. It was over. The mission was finished, they would be going back to Konoha, and whatever they had had was finished.

~!~

"After we infiltrated Shun's secret lab, the antidote was easy to manage. Aiko is recovering well and I thank you both for your help." Sakura stared at the Raikage as he spoke but his words went in one ear and right out the other. She _was_ glad that his niece was recovering and doing well, but she really didn't care about his words.

She wanted to pack and get back to Konoha as quickly as she could. And since Kakashi had gone back to ignoring her completely, she really wanted to be far away from him as well. Forcing a smile, Sakura bowed to the Raikage and crossed her arms over her chest. "I'm happy for her, and the village, but to be honest….I just want to go home."

He smiled despite her sharp attitude and put a hand on her shoulder. "Of course! I'm told you're in the middle of planning a wedding." Sakura's face paled and she felt her stomach drop to her feet. "Congratulations and I'll definitely send a wedding present. Go." Without waiting for Kakashi, Sakura turned on her heel and rushed out into the bitter cold.

The streets were empty in the early morning and Sakura was thankful. She didn't need to be held up any more than she already was. Once in their apartment, Sakura shoved her clothes and toiletries back into her backpack and slid her mission report folder behind it all. She had spent the night writing it up for Tsunade, hoping that as soon as she turned it in, her life would return to normal and she could forget any of this even happened.

Kakashi slipped into the room and began packing his own things. The silence and tension that stretched between them made Sakura's jaw clench tightly. She wanted to scream at him, ask him why he led her on…But, he hadn't. She had been leading him on. She had thrown herself at her sensei while she was engaged to another man with no intention of forming it into something real. He had been a nice distraction during the mission and he ended it before she could.

So why was she so angry at him?

She had used him, she had made the advances and made it very clear that though she wanted him physically, she wasn't going to be with him.

As she pulled the sheets and blanket over her bed, she couldn't help the wretched feeling that crept into her stomach. She was disgusted with herself for everything she had done, disgusted that she had to go back to Konoha and become the house wife Kyo wanted, disgusted that she didn't want that. Sakura tucked the sheet under the mattress and wiped the tears that flowed freely down her cheeks now.

She couldn't let him see her cry.

She wouldn't let him.

Angry at herself for crying, Sakura slipped her arms into her backpack and waited in the hallway until he was finished. "Sakura." Kakashi's voice was soft, but it still cut through her like a knife. She wanted to turn around and cry into his chest and scream at him and beg him to be hers…But, she couldn't. And looking back now, would only make it harder.

Without turning around, Sakura took a deep, shaking breath. "I'm going on ahead. I remember the way."

This was the way it had to be. She hadn't meant for it to turn into this, but it had…and now she had to go back home and be the person she was when she left. She had to. This life was not an option for her anymore.

As she hurried from the village where the roped bridges turned to rocky, sloped trails through the mountains, Sakura let her tears flow free, sobbing into the harsh winds. She had to forget about her and Kakashi, chalk it up to a mistake and let it go. And even as she decided to do just that, Sakura knew it was going to be a lot harder to do than she could even imagine.

* * *

_AN- I've decided to break this up into two parts…so this is the end of part I…I really hope you liked it and will read part II because they pretty much go together. Thanks for all your reviews and story alerts! You're all awesome!_


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